H.P.  COCHRANE 


'iilil 


J)3 


b^'i 


AMONG  THE  BURMANS 


A  Typical  Shan 


Among  the  Burmans 

A  record  of  fifteen  years 
of  work  and  its  fruitage 

By 
HENRY  PARK  COCHRANE 


O" 


ILLUSTRATED 


New  York  Chicago  Toronto 

Fleming  H.  Revell  Company 

London    and    Edinburgh 


Copyright,    1904,    by 
FLEMING  H.  REVELL  COMPANY 


New  York:  158  Fifth  Avenue 
Chicago  :  63  Washington  Street 
Toronto  :  27  Richmond  Street,  W 
London :  21  Paternoster  Square 
Edinburgh  :    30  St.    Mary  Street 


P  r  e  f  a  c  e 

THE  aim  of  this  book  is  to  give  a  true 
picture  of  life  and  conditions  in  Burma. 
Heathen  religions,  superstitions,  and 
native  customs  are  described  as  seen  in  the  daily 
life  of  the  people.  Concrete  illustrations  are 
freely  used  to  make  the  picture  more  vivid. 
Truth  is  stronger  than  fiction.  In  matters  of 
personal  experience  and  observation  I  have  used 
the  "  Perpendicular  Pronoun "  as  more  direct 
and  graphic.  In  matters  of  history  I  have  read 
nearly  everything  available,  and  drawn  my  own 
conclusions,  as  others  have  done  before  me.  If 
interest  in  "  The  Land  of  Judson  "  is  stimulated 
by  reading  this  little  volume,  its  object  will  have 
been  accomplished. 

H.  P.  C. 


Contents 


I. 

First  Experiences            .         .         . 

9 

II. 

Living  Like  the  Natives         .          . 

27 

III. 

Customs  of  the  Burmese 

37 

IV. 

Chief  Races  of  Burma 

70 

V. 

Buddhism  As  It  Is         .         .         . 

"3 

VI. 

Burma's  Outcasts 

146 

VII. 

A  Nation  in  Transition 

157 

VIII. 

"  By  All  Means — Save  Some  " 

167 

IX. 

"  With  Persecutions  "  . 

208 

X. 

Heroes  and  Heroines     . 

224 

XL 

Peculiar  Experiences     . 

240 

XII. 

Obstacles 

250 

XIII. 

What  Hath  God  Wrought            , 

265 

LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS 

FACING  PAGE 

A  Typical  Shan Title 

Raw  Material  (Kachins) 30 

Kachins  Sacreficixg  to  Demons 30 

Pounding  Rice 40 

Dancing  Gibls 48 

Tattooing 56 

Buddhist   Shrines 78 

Burmese  Woman  Weaving 90 

Worshipers 116 

A  Karen  Family 128 

Buddhist  Idol 128 

The  Last  King  of  Burma 158 

Government  House,  Rangoon 164 

How  We  Travel  by  Cart  and  Boat 172 

Transplanting  Rice 180 

Dorian   Sellers 180 

Pineapples  and  Jackfrutt 204 

Elephants  at  Work 222 

Baptist  Church,  Rangoon 268 


Among  the  Burmans 
I 

FIRST  EXPERIENCES 

THE  Chanda  was  slowly  making  her  way 
with  the  tide  up  the  Rangoon  River. 
Two  young  missionaries,  myself  and 
wife,  were  leaning  on  the  rail,  deeply  interested 
in  the  scene  before  us.  The  rising  sun,  sending 
its  rays  over  the  land,  seemed  to  us  a  pledge  of 
the  Master's  presence  in  the  work  to  which  we 
had  consecrated  our  lives.  On  every  hand  were 
strange  sights  and  sounds,  strange  scenery,  strange 
craft,  strange  people ;  everything  far  and  near  so 
unlike  the  old  life  that  we  had  left  behind.  But 
it  was  something  more  than  new  sights  and 
sounds  that  stirred  in  us  the  deep  emotion  ex- 
pressed in  moistened  eye  and  trembling  lip. 
Thoughts  were  going  back  to  the  time  when  we 
heard  the  call,  "  Whom  shall  I  send,  and  who 
will  go  for  us  ?  "  And  now  that  we  were  about 
to  enter  upon  the  realization  of  that  to  which  we 
had  so  long  looked  forward,  hearts  too  full  for 

9 


lo  Among  the  Burmans 

utterance,  were  stirred  with  gratitude  and  praise. 
But  not  long  were  we  permitted  to  indulge  in 
either  retrospect  or  prospect.  As  the  steamer 
drew  near  the  dock  all  was  turmoil  and  excite- 
ment,— officers  shouting  their  orders ;  sailors 
dragging  the  great  ropes  into  place  ;  passengers 
getting  their  luggage  ready  for  quick  removal ; 
friends  on  ship  and  shore  eagerly  seeking  to 
recognize  a  familiar  face ;  waving  of  handker- 
chiefs ;  sudden  exclamations  when  an  acquaint- 
ance or  loved  one  was  recognized. 

At  last  the  gangplank  is  in  place,  and  on  they 
come, — officials,  coolies,  business  men,  hotel-run- 
ners, representatives  of  many  races,  and  condi- 
tions, energy  for  once  superseding  rank ;  mis- 
sionaries well  to  the  front  to  extend  a  welcome 
to  the  newcomers. 

What  a  power  there  is  in  the  hearty  hand-shake 
and  cordial  greeting  !  To  the  newcomer,  who 
has  everything  to  learn  and  much  to  unlearn, — 
this  warm  reception  by  the  veterans  is  a  link  to 
reconnect  him  with  the  world  from  which  he 
seemed  to  have  been  separated  during  the  long 
voyage  ;  a  bridge  to  span  the  gulf  of  his  own  in- 
experience ;  a  magic-rite  of  adoption  into  the 
great  missionary  family ;  a  pledge  of  fellowship 
and  cooperation  for  all  the  years  to  come. 

It  was  Sunday  morning, — though  few  in  that 
motley  crowd  either  knew  or  cared.  Mohamme- 
dan, Hindu,  Parsee,  Buddhist,  and  *'  Christian  " 


First  Experiences  ii 

jostled  one  another,  each  intent  on  his  own  af- 
fairs, and  all  combining  to  make  this  the  farthest 
possible  extreme  from  a  "  day  of  holy  rest." 
Little  wonder  that  this  first  Oriental  Sunday  was 
a  distinct  shock  to  the  new  missionaries.  They 
had  yet  to  learn  that  on  many  such  Sundays  they 
would  long  for  the  "  Sabbath-  and  Sanctuary- 
privileges  "  of  the  home-land.  But  soon  it  be- 
came evident  that  the  missionaries  at  least,  were 
about  the  "  Father's  business,"  each  hurrying 
away  to  be  in  time  for  the  morning  service  in  his 
own  department  of  mission-work  among  many 
races.  To  the  eye  of  one  who  has  just  landed  in 
Rangoon  each  individual  in  the  throng  of  natives 
on  the  street  seems  to  have  arrayed  himself  as 
fantastically  as  possible,  or  to  have  gone  to  the 
other  extreme  and  failed  to  array  himself  at  all. 
But  at  these  Christian  services  one  sees  the  na- 
tives classified  according  to  race,  and  learns  to 
distinguish  certain  racial  characteristics, — of  fea- 
ture, costume,  and  custom.  A  congregation  of 
Burmese  is  a  beautiful  sight,  their  showy  skirts, 
turbans,  and  scarfs  presenting  the  appearance  of 
a  flower  garden  in  full  bloom,  but  especially 
beautiful  as  a  company  of  precious  souls  turned 
from  their  idols  to  the  "  True  and  living  God." 

Among  our  first  experiences  was  a  warm  ap- 
preciation of  the  kind  attempts  on  the  part  of  the 
missionaries  to  initiate  us,  by  means  of  good  ad- 
vice, into  life  in  the  tropics.    "  Now  do  be  care- 


l±  Among  the  Burmans 

ful  about  exposing  yourself  to  this  tropical  sun. 
Remember,  you  are  not  in  America  now." 

"  That  solar  tope  of  yours  is  not  thick  enough 
for  one  who  is  not  used  to  this  chmate."  "  Flan- 
nel next  to  the  skin  is  absolutely  necessary,  as  a 
safeguard  against  malaria,  dysentery,  and  other 
complaints  so  common  here."  "  Now  dear 
brother  and  sister,  you  must  look  out  and  not  let 
your  zeal  run  away  with  your  judgment.  Yankee 
hustle  won't  do  in  Burma." 

Dear  souls,  we  thought,  you  mean  well,  but 
we  are  not  subject  to  these  troubles  of  which  you 
speak.  Their  warnings  sink  about  as  deep  as  the 
remark  of  one  of  our  party  who  ran  down  the 
gangplank  just  ahead  of  us :  "  When  you  have 
been  in  the  country  as  long  as  I  have,  etc.," — an 
old  expression,  now  under  the  ban.  A  few 
months  later  we  began  to  take  their  advice.  Ex- 
periences leading  to  such  action  will  be  described 
further  on.  Two  days  afterwards  we  reached  our 
mission  station,  just  as  the  sun  was  going  down. 
While  picking  out  our  "  luggage  "  (it  was  bag- 
gage when  it  left  America)  we  received  our  first 
impressions  as  to  the  British  Indian  system  of 
checking,  or  "  booking,"  as  it  is  called. 

A  luggage  receipt  given  at  the  starting  point, 
called  for  so  many  pieces.  Then  we  found  that 
to  each  article  was  glued  a  patch  of  paper  on 
which  its  destination  was  marked,  and  also  a 
number  corresponding  to  the  number  on  the  re- 


First  Experiences  13 

ceipt.  All  well  so  far.  The  luggage  clerk  seemed 
neither  to  know  nor  care,  but  left  each  passenger 
to  claim  his  own. 

We  noticed  too  that  everything  imaginable 
was  allowed  to  be  booked,  a  certain  number  of 
viss  in  weight  being  allowed  free  on  each  ticket. 

To  our  observing  eyes,  each  passenger's  lug- 
gage indicated  about  how  long  he  had  been  in 
the  country,  or  how  much  he  had  travelled. 

Some  evil  spirit  seems  to  possess  the  luggage 
clerk's  assistant  to  glue  the  label  in  a  new  place 
each  time,  cancelling  other  bookings  by  tearing 
off  loose  corners  of  old  labels.  This  custom  is 
specially  trying  to  spirituality  when  applied  to 
bicycles,  the  railroad  glue  having  such  affinity 
for  enamel  that  they  stay  or  come  off  together. 
Another  thing  that  impressed  us  was  the  sud- 
denness with  which  the  darkness  of  night  came 
on,  as  if  "  darkness  rather  than  light "  reigned 
over  this  heathen  land,  and  could  hardly  wait  for 
the  usurping  sun  to  disappear  behind  the  horizon. 
First  impressions  of  our  new  home  we  gained 
late  that  night,  by  the  dim  light  of  a  lantern. 
Home,  did  I  say  ?  As  we  peered  through  the 
shadows  it  did  not  strike  us  as  being  a  place  that 
could  ever,  by  any  stretch  of  imagination,  seem 
like  home.  Bare,  unpainted  walls  dingy  with 
age  ;  huge  round  posts,  some  of  them  running  up 
through  the  rooms  ;  no  furniture  except  a  teak 
bedstead,  and  a  large  round  table  so  rickety  that 


14  Among  the  Burmans 

it  actually  bowed  to  us  when  we  stepped  into  the 
room  ;  lizards  crawling  on  walls  and  ceiling, — in- 
teresting and  harmless  things,  as  we  afterwards 
found,  but  not  specially  attractive  to  a  newcomer. 
Oh,  no, — it  was  not  homesickness,  only  just  lack 
of  power  to  appreciate  a  good  thing  after  the 
weary  experiences  of  our  long  journey.  In  the 
night  I  was  roused  from  sleep  by  hearing  some 
one  calling.  Half  awake,  I  was  getting  out  from 
under  the  mosquito  net,  when  my  wife  remarked, 
"  Better    get   back   into   bed.     It   is   only   that 

taukteh,  that  Mrs.  told  us  about."     The 

taukteh  is  the  "  crowing,"  or  "  trout-spotted 
lizard."  The  English  call  it  the  tuctoo,  from 
the  sound  it  makes.  The  Burmans  call  it  tauk- 
teh, for  the  same  reason.  Some  declare  that  it 
says  "  doctor,  doctor,"  as  plain  as  day.  Alarm- 
ing stories  are  told  of  this  terrible  creature ;  how 
it  loses  its  hold  on  the  ceiling  to  alight  in  a 
lady's  hair,  and  that  nothing  short  of  removing 
scalp  and  all  will  dislodge  it.  The  worst  thing 
we  have  known  it  to  do  was  to  wake  the  baby  in 
the  dead  of  the  night,  when  we  had  got  fairly 
settled  to  sleep  after  hours  of  sweltering.  I  have 
shot  several  for  this  unpardonable  offense.  The 
taukteh's  sudden  call  in  the  night  causes  some 
children  to  suffer  much  from  fright,  though  no 
harm  is  intended. 

Our  house  was  situated  on  a  narrow  strip  of 
land   with   streets    on   three   sides,   and    school 


First  Experiences  15 

dormitory  in  the  rear.  Just  across  one  street 
was  a  native  Police  Guard,  but  we  did  not  know 
what  it  was  until  next  morning.  We  had  come 
into  our  possessions  after  dark,  so  knew  nothing 
of  our  environment.  These  were  dacoit  times. 
Disturbances  were  frequent.  Of  course  our  ears 
had  been  filled  with  exciting  stories  of  dacoit 
atrocities.  The  incessant  and  unintelligible  jab- 
bering of  the  Paunjabby  poUcemen,  sometimes 
sounding  as  though  they  were  on  the  verge  of  a 
fight,  and  the  sharp  call  of  the  sentry  as  he 
challenged  passers-by  were  anything  but  con- 
ducive to  sleep  through  that  first  night  in  our 
mission  bungalow. 

The  new  missionary  has  many  trying  experi- 
ences while  becoming  accustomed  to  the  changed 
conditions  of  life  in  the  tropics.  Judging  from 
our  own  experience  and  observation,  covering 
many  years,  it  seems  utterly  impossible  for  the 
returned  missionary  to  transmit  to  the  new  mis- 
sionary, while  yet  in  the  home-land,  anything 
like  true  conceptions  of  the  life  upon  which  he 
is  about  to  enter,  and  how  to  prepare  for  it. 
Either  the  new  missionary  has  theories  of  his  own 
which  he  fondly  imagines  never  have  been  tried, 
or  he  considers  himself  so  unlike  other  mortals 
that  rules  of  living,  developed  by  long  experi- 
ence, do  not  apply  to  one  of  his  own  peculiar 
physical  make-up.  But  whatever  his  attitude  of 
mind  towards  the  new  life  and  work,  the  fact  re- 


i6  Among  the  Burmans 

mains  that  he  has  dropped  down  in  the  midst  of 
conditions  so  unlike  anything  in  his  past  ex- 
perience that  he  must  learn  to  adapt  himself  to 
life  as  he  finds  it.  The  first  place  to  apply  his 
gift  of  adaptation  is  in  the  household.  First  ex- 
periences with  native  servants  are  decidedly 
interesting,  to  say  the  least.  Our  cook  "  Nara- 
swamy,"  "  Sammy  "  for  short, — came  to  us  highly 
recommended,  and  neatly  clothed.  We  had  not 
yet  learned  that  the  poorer  the  cook,  the  better 
his  recommendations  (often  borrowed  from  some 
other  cook),  and  the  neater  his  clothing, — also 
borrowed  for  the  purpose  of  securing  a  place, 
but  never  seen  after  the  first  day  or  two. 

One  day  when  "  Missis  "  was  giving  directions 
about  the  dinner  she  called  Sammy  and  said, 
"  Sammy,  how  many  eggs  have  you  ?  "  "  Two 
egg,  missis."  "  Very  well,  you  make  a  pudding 
the  best  you  can,  with  the  two  eggs."  At  dinner 
no  pudding  appeared.  "  Sammy,  where  is  the 
pudding?"  Putting  on  a  sorrowful  look  Sammy 
replied,  "  I  done  break  egg  "  (spreading  out  his 
hands  to  indicate  the  two  eggs),  "  one  got  child, 
one  got  child."  When  Sammy  felt  fairly  sure  of 
keeping  his  place,  his  two  little  boys  began  to 
spend  much  of  their  time  in  and  around  the  cook 
house.  One  of  our  first  rules  was  that  no 
child  should  be  allowed  to  go  naked  on  the  mis- 
sion compound.  These  two  dusky  youngsters 
had  not  a  thread  of  clothing.    Sammy  was  called 


First  Experiences  17 

up  and  instructed  that  if  his  children  were  com- 
ing to  the  mission  premises,  they  must  be  prop- 
erly clothed,  at  the  same  time  presenting  him 
with  a  suit  for  one  child.  The  next  day  they 
came  again,  with  smiles  of  satisfaction,  one 
wearing  the  trousers,  the  other  the  jacket.  Many 
of  these  Madrassi  cooks  are  professing  Christians, 
merely  to  secure  a  place  in  a  missionary  family. 
A  small  minority  are  Christians  in  fact.  But 
whether  a  heathen  cook  sneaks  off  with  a  stuffed 
turban,  or  a  professed  Christian  appropriates  our 

food  quietly  humming  "  I  love  to  steal, "  the 

resulting  loss  to  commissariat  and  spirituality  is 
the  same. 

Madrassi  cooks,  almost  without  exception,  are 
dishonest.  They  will  jealously  guard  "  Master's  " 
property  against  the  depredations  of  all  comers, 
but  help  themselves  to  a  liberal  commission  from 
the  daily  Bazar  money, — and  catch  them  if  you 
can.  This  has  been  their  custom  for  many  gen- 
erations, and  is  their  right,  from  their  point  of 
view. 

When  engaging  a  cook  it  may  as  well  be  kept 
in  mind  that  his  pay  is  so  much  a  month,  and 
.    He  will  fill  out  the  blank  to  suit  himself. 

Take  his  Bazar-account  every  day,  and  make 
him  show  the  articles  charged  for,  but  do  not 
congratulate  yourself  that  he  has  made  nothing 
by  the  transaction.  And  yet  his  prices  may  be 
quite   as  low  as  his  employer  could  get.     Find 


1 8  Among  the  Burmans 

fault  with  the  quality  of  the  meat,  and  he  will 
bring  a  better  article,  but  short  weight.  A 
stranger  might  conjecture  that  the  meat  was 
selected  for  its  wearing  qualities,  as  one  would 
buy  leather ;  or  that  they  had  heard  of  the 
mummified  beef  found  with  one  of  the  Pharaohs, 
and  decided  that  only  such  was  kingly  food. 

The  cook  is  supposed  to  board  himself.  He 
does,  and  all  his  family  connections.  Just  how 
he  does  it  may  never  be  known,  but  "  Master  " 
pays  the  bill,  in  "  cash  or  kind."  Bengalee  cooks 
are  much  more  desirable,  but  hard  to  get.  Mrs. 
Judson's  testimony  to  the  faithfulness  of  her 
Bengalee  cook  may  well  be  repeated  here. 

"  I  just  reached  Aungpenla  when  my  strength 
seemed  entirely  exhausted.  The  good  native 
cook  came  out  to  help  me  into  the  house ;  but  so 
altered  and  emaciated  was  my  appearance  that 
the  poor  fellow  burst  into  tears  at  the  first  sight. 
I  crawled  on  to  the  mat  in  the  little  room,  to  which 
I  was  confined  for  more  than  two  months,  and 
never  perfectly  recovered  until  I  came  to  the 
English  camp.  At  this  period,  when  I  was  un- 
able to  take  care  of  myself,  or  look  after  Mr. 
Judson,  we  must  both  have  died  had  it  not  been 
for  the  faithful  and  affectionate  care  of  our  Ben- 
galee cook.  A  common  Bengalee  cook  will  do 
nothing  but  the  simple  business  of  cooking ;  but 
he  seemed  to  forget  caste,  and  almost  all  his  own 
wants  in  his  efforts  to  serve  us,     ...     I  have 


First  Experiences  19 

frequently  known  him  not  to  taste  food  until  near 
night,  in  consequence  of  having  to  go  so  far  for 
wood  and  water,  and  in  order  to  have  Mr. 
Judson's  dinner  ready  at  the  usual  hour.  He  never 
complained,  never  asked  for  his  wages,  and  never 
for  a  moment  hesitated  to  go  anywhere,  or  per- 
form any  act  that  we  required." 

The  dhoby  (washerman)  is  always  a  source  of 
much  distraction.  He  takes  away  the  soiled 
linen  on  Monda.y,  promising  to  bring  it  back  on 
Saturday ;  carries  it  to  the  riverside,  stands  in  the 
water  facing  the  shore,  pounds  it  out  on  a  flat 
stone  with  swinging  blows,  and, — brings  back 
what  is  left.  Garments  worn  perhaps  but  once, 
are  found  on  spreading  out,  to  be  spoiled  by  long 
rents  or  mildew.  Socks  that  have  been  filled 
with  sand  in  order  to  strike  a  harder  blow,  still 
retain  enough  sand  to  cause  much  discomfort. 
One  or  two  pieces  are  missing  altogether.  He 
promises  to  bring  them  the  next  time.  In  the 
meantime  he  has  probably  hired  them  out  to 
some  person  of  mixed  blood  and  principles,  or 
native  aping  European  habits.  The  sweeper, 
waterman,  and  other  native  helpers  slight  their 
work,  or  perchance,  with  the  poorest  excuse,  and 
that  not  made  known  until  afterwards, — absent 
themselves  altogether.  "  But  why  " — some  will 
ask  "  is  it  necessary  to  employ  these  native 
cooks,  washermen,  etc.  ? 

"  Many  of  these  women  who  go  to  the  foreign 


20  Among  the  Burmans 

field  as  missionaries'  wives  were  accustomed  to 
do  much  of  their  own  work  here  at  home, — 
why  not  do  the  same  over  there,  and  so  avoid 
the  expense, — as  many  of  us  who  support  them 
have  to  do  ?  "  In  the  first  place,  many  of  the 
missionaries  have  only  one  servant  who  is  paid 
for  full  time,  that  is  the  cook.  All  others  do  a 
little  work  night  and  morning,  their  wages  being 
made  up  by  serving  several  different  families. 
Again,  it  would  be  a  physical  impossibility  for  the 
missionary's  wife  to  do  the  cooking  and  washing, 
adding  the  heat  and  smoke  of  an  open  fire  to  the 
tropical  heat  of  the  atmosphere.  Some  have 
tried  it,  only  to  give  it  up  as  utterly  impracticable. 
Others  have  persisted  in  it,  only  to  be  laid  away  in 
a  cemetery  in  a  foreign  land,  or  to  return  hope- 
lessly broken  in  health,  to  the  home-land. 

It  cannot  be  done.  Moreover,  it  would  be 
the  height  of  folly  for  the  wife  to  spend  her 
time  and  strength  over  cooking  utensils,  dish- 
pans  and  wash-tubs.  The  wife,  as  truly  as  the 
husband,  has  consecrated  her  life  to  the  Mas- 
ter's service.  There  is  work  for  her  to  do, 
among  the  women  and  children,  that  he  can- 
not touch.  The  missionary's  wife  whether 
touring  with  him  among  jungle-villages ; 
visiting  from  house  to  house  in  the  town ; 
working  in  the  school ;  making  her  influ- 
ence felt  in  the  church;  or  even  when  pre- 
vented by  family  cares  or  failing  health — from 


First  Experiences  21 

engaging  in  active  service, — she  furnishes  the 
object  lesson  of  a  well-ordered  Christian  home, 
her  life  is  of  just  as  much  worth  to  the  cause  of 
Christ  as  is  that  of  the  missionary  whose  help- 
mate she  is.  I  can  do  no  better  than  quote  Dr. 
Herrick's  beautiful  tribute  to  her  worth :  •'  I  never 
yet  saw  a  missionary's  wife  whose  companionship 
did  not  double  her  husband's  usefulness.  I  have 
known  more  than  one  whose  face,  as  the  years  of 
life  increase  took  on  that  charm,  that  wondrous 
beauty  that  youthful  features  never  wear,  the 
beauty  of  character,  disciplined  by  suffering,  of 
a  life  unselfishly  devoted  to  the  highest  ends. 
One  of  the  choicest  things  of  missionary  work  is 
the  unwritten  heroism  of  missionary  homes.  It 
is  the  missionary's  wife  who,  by  years  of  en- 
durance and  acquired  experience  in  the  foreign 
field,  has  made  it  possible,  in  these  later  years, 
for  unmarried  women  to  go  abroad  and  live  and 
work  among  the  people  of  eastern  lands." 

When  a  young  man  or  woman  has  once  settled 
the  burning  question  :  Is  it  my  duty  and  privi- 
lege to  go  as  a  missionary  ?  and  has  become  fully 
pledged  to  that  service,  there  is  an  intense  desire 
to  get  to  the  scene  of  action  as  soon  as  possible ; 
to  enter  upon  the  grand  work  of  proclaiming 
Christ  where  He  has  not  been  named. 

We  had  not  long  been  in  our  new  home  before 
Burmans,  both  Christian  and  heathen,  began  to 
call   to   see  the  new  teachers.     They  evidently 


22  Among  the  Burmans 

wanted  to  welcome  us  as  their  missionaries  ;  and 
we,  in  turn,  wanted  them  to  know  that  love  for 
them,  for  whom  Christ  died,  had  brought  us 
among  them.  But  how  helpless  we  felt!  An 
exchange  of  smiles,  a  hand-shake,  a  few  words 
that  neither  party  could  understand, — that  was 
all. 

We  found  ourselves  utterly  powerless  to  com- 
municate to  them  one  word  of  all  that  was  burn- 
ing,— had  been  burning  for  years,  in  our  hearts. 
Then  it  was  that  the  fact  fully  dawned  upon  us 
that  before  we  could  hope  to  do  effectively  the 
work  to  which  we  had  consecrated  our  lives,  a 
difficult  foreign  language  must  be  mastered ;  that 
we  must  keep  our  consecration  warm,  from  the  A 
B  C  of  a  strange  tongue  until  the  time  when, 
through  the  medium  of  that  tongue  we  could  tell 
"  the  story  of  Jesus  and  His  love."  First  in  order 
then,  is  to  get  right  down  to  hard  boning  on  the 
language  of  the  people  among  whom  the  mis- 
sionary is  to  labour.  He  who  fails  to  gain  a 
strong  hold  on  the  language  during  the  first  year, 
will  labour  under  a  disadvantage  through  all  the 
years  of  missionary  service.  Burdens  are  thrust 
upon  him  more  than  enough  to  consume  all  his 
time  and  strength.  Hundreds  of  villages  in  his 
large  district  furnish  a  strong  appeal  to  postpone 
study. 

The  climate  soon  begins  to  effect  him  so  that 
he    seems    to   lose   the   power  to   study.      In- 


First  Experiences  23 

heriting  a  large  organized  work  he  is  forced  at 
once  into  service  as  a  full-fledged  missionary,  be- 
fore a  pin-feather  of  experience  has  had  time  to 
start.  Interruptions  are  frequent  and  unavoid- 
able. How  to  find  time  for  language  study  is  in- 
deed a  serious  problem, — but  he  must  find  it,  if 
his  life  is  to  tell  for  Christ,  at  its  best.  More- 
over, the  missionary  must  master  practically  two 
languages  before  he  is  fully  equipped  for  service, 
— the  language  of  the  book,  and  the  language  of 
the  people.  The  formal  style  of  classical  Burmese 
would  be  as  out  of  place  in  the  jungle  as  the 
colloquial  Burmese  would  be  in  the  pulpit.  In 
the  one  case  it  would  not  be  understood,  in  the 
other  it  would  give  offense, — for  one  may  not 
"  talk  down  "  to  even  a  native  audience.  Hence, 
to  be  effective  the  missionary  must  at  the  same 
time  be  faithful  to  study,  and  to  real  contact 
with  the  people.  It  is  no  easy  matter,  after  one 
has  struggled  through  all  the  years  of  training  in 
the  home-land,  thumbing  Latin,  Greek,  and  He- 
brew Lexicons  until  he  fondly  thinks  that  his  train- 
ing has  been  completed, — to  get  right  down  again 
to  the  A  B  C  of  a  new  language.  Here  he  meets 
something,  that  will  test  the  soundness  of  his  con- 
secration and  of  his  staying  qudXxtits.  From  first 
to  last  our  great  missionaries  have  been  men  who 
have  thoroughly  mastered  the  language  of  their 
people.  But  it  is  perfectly  wonderful  how  the 
natives    will     listen    respectfully    to    the    most 


24  Among  the  Burmans 

laborious  attempts  to  speak  to  them  in  their  own 
tongue.  Not  a  smile  at  the  most  ridiculous 
mistakes,  not  a  word  or  sign  to  indicate  that  they 
are  not  really  understanding  what  you  are  driv- 
ing at.  This  excessive  respect  sometimes  leads 
to  serious  consequences.  The  missionary,  think- 
ing that  he  has  made  himself  understood,  is 
disappointed  and  hindered  because  things  do  not 
come  to  pass.  The  native  is  not  wanting  a 
sense  of  humour,  and  if  he  feels  sure  that  you  will 
enjoy  the  joke,  he  will  point  out  the  mistake, 
and  join  in  the  laugh  over  it. 

Unlike  other  languages  of  Burma,  the  con- 
struction of  a  Burmese  sentence  is  the  reverse  of 
the  English  order.  Many  sentences  may  be 
translated  backward,  word  for  word,  certain  con- 
nective particles  becoming  relative  pronouns, 
with  a  perfect  idiomatic  English  sentence  as  the 
result.  The  eye  can  soon  be  trained  to  take  in  a 
printed  sentence  as  a  whole,  and  grasp  its  mean- 
ing, without  stopping  to  render  it  into  EngUsh 
in  the  reversed  order.  But  to  keep  this  order  in 
mind,  in  conversation,  with  the  word  expressing 
action  left  for  the  last,  like  the  snapper  to  a  whip, 
is  not  so  easy.  In  acquiring  the  language  by  ear 
a  difficulty  arises  from  the  universal  habit  of 
^z^«-chewing.  Never  careful  about  enunciating 
his  words,  a  wad  of  kun  in  a  Burman's  cheek  adds 
to  the  confusion  of  sounds.  With  mouth  half 
full  of  saliva,  chin  protruding  to  keep  it  from 


First  Experiences  25 

slopping  over, — a  mumbled  jargon  is  what  the 
ear  must  be  trained  to  interpret  as  human  speech 

By  this  time  the  newcomer  has  seen  enough 
of  the  cUmate,  and  of  the  side  of  society  in 
which  he  will  move,  to  convince  him  that  his 
Prince  Albert  coat,  in  which  he  has  been  accus- 
tomed to  array  himself  "  every  day  in  the  week, 
and  twice  on  Sunday"  must  be  folded  away  in 
his  trunk  until  such  a  time  as  he  takes  a  furlough 
in  the  home-land.  A  fellow-missionary  consoles 
him  with  the  remark  that  he  once  wore  back  to 
America  the  same  coat  that  he  wore  to  Burma 
eight  years  before.  Missionaries  usually  arrive 
in  November,  the  beginning  of  the  "  cold  sea- 
son." After  that  comes  the  "  hot  season," — but 
it  is  difficult  to  tell  just  where  the  one  leaves  off 
and  the  other  begins. 

In  any  event,  the  newcomer  soon  "  warms  to 
his  work."  First  the  waistcoat  is  discarded,  then 
the  long  thick  coat  gives  place  to  a  short  thin 
one.  For  underwear,  gauze  flannel  and  singlets 
are  in  demand.  Starched  shirts  and  linen  collars 
are  reserved  for  special  occasions.  High-top 
shoes  are  relegated  to  the  corner-closet.  Even 
his  watch  hangs  as  an  uncomfortable  weight  in 
his  light  clothing.  In  the  old  life  he  hardly  per- 
spired once  in  the  year.  Now  there  is  hardly 
once  in  the  year  when  he  is  not  perspiring.  The 
drinking-water  is  so  warm  that  it  seems  to  have 
lost  much  of  its  wetness.     What  would  he  not 


26  Among  the  Burmans 

give  to  feel  cool  again.  But  he  has  not  long  to 
wait  for  his  wish  to  be  more  than  realized.  Some 
night,  after  fanning  himself  into  a  restless  sleep, 
he  will  wake  up  in  a  chill,  to  find  himself  in  the 
throes  of  the  Burma  fever,  to  which  he  was  "  not 
subject."  Then  he  will  recall  the  lightly-regarded 
advice,  repeatedly  violated  in  every  particular, 

and  now As  this  is  the  first  attack  he  will  get 

his  wife  to  treat  him  the  first  day  with  the  home- 
opathic remedies  in  his  morocco  medicine  case, — 
his  last  misguided  purchase  before  sailing. 

There  is  nothing  better  to  perpetuate  a  fever. 
On  the  second  day,  having  recalled  some  more 
advice,  his  head  will  be  buzzing  with  quinine,  the 
only  thing  that  will  really  help  him, — as  every 
man  in  the  tropics  knows. 


II 

LIVING  LIKE  THE  NATIVES 

MUCH  has  been  said  and  written  about 
"  living  like  the  natives." 
Many  have  maintained  that  the  mis- 
sionaries should  abandon  their  former  mode  of 
living,  and  adopt  the  customs  and  costume  of 
the  people  among  whom  they  labour.  It  is  said 
that  old  maids  know  the  most  about  the  proper 
way  to  bring  up  children.  It  is  interesting  to 
note  that  advocates  of  this  theory  of  missionary 
methods  are  men  who  never  have  been  out  of 
their  native  land,  and  have  spent  but  little  of  their 
time  in  informing  themselves  as  to  the  habits  of 
uncivilized  peoples.  Prospective  missionaries 
will  do  well  to  provide  themselves  with  the  cus- 
tomary outfit, — to  meet  their  needs  while  finding 
an  answer  to  the  many-sided  question, — how  do 
the  natives  live? 

For  the  present  we  will  confine  our  investiga- 
tions to  Burma.  Let  us  visit  one  of  the  native 
houses,  and  see  for  ourselves.  Running  the 
gauntlet  of  several  snarling  pariah  dogs,  we  pass 
through  the  muddy  door-yard,  littered  with 
banana  leaves,  munched  sugar-cane,  and  waste 
27 


28  Among  the  Burmans 

from  various  sources.  The  house  is  set  up  on 
posts,  several  feet  from  the  ground,  affording  a 
shady  place  below,  to  be  shared  by  the  family 
and  the  domestic  animals.  The  floor  overhead  is 
of  split  bamboo  or  thin  boards,  with  wide  cracks 
through  which  all  sweepings  fall,  and  kun-ch.Qwers 
lazily  spit  without  troubling  themselves  to  get  up. 
At  the  back  part  of  the  house  a  corner  is  parti- 
tioned off  for  the  cook-room,  the  stove  being  a 
very  shallow  box  filled  with  earth.  The  cooking 
is  done  in  earthen  chatties  over  the  smoky  open 
fires.  Near  the  cook-room  is  an  open  space 
where  household  utensils  are  washed  and  the 
babies  bathed,  the  water  falling  through  the  open 
floor  to  the  ground  below.  Month  after  month 
and  year  after  year  this  filthy  habit  goes  on, 
forming  a  cesspool  from  which  a  foul  stench 
arises,  offensive  to  nostrils  and  dangerous  to 
health.  This  foul  pool  is  a  paradise  for  their 
ducks,  its  slime  being  tracked  all  over  the  place. 
The  house  is  small,  its  thatched  roof  coming 
down  so  low  as  hardly  to  leave  room  for  a  full- 
sized  door.  Many  of  these  homes  have  no  out- 
buildings whatever,  trusting  to  the  pariah  dogs 
and  the  crows, — the  village  scavengers, — to  keep 
the  premises  in  a  sanitary  condition.  Some  of 
the  well-to-do  Burmans  live  in  larger  better 
houses  ;  showing  that  not  only  is  it  impracticable 
for  Europeans  to  live  Hke  the  natives,  but  that 
natives  when  able,  find  it  wise  to  live  like  Euro- 


Living  Like  the  Natives  29 

peans.  This  is  a  tropical  climate,  with  the  tem- 
perature at  112°  in  the  shade  on  the  day  these 
words  were  written.  It  would  be  almost  suicidal 
for  Europeans  to  attempt  to  live  in  such  houses, 
even  under  the  best  sanitary  conditions  possible. 
Missionaries  have  lived  for  a  time  in  such  houses, 
from  force  of  circumstances,  but  always  to  the 
detriment  of  health,  sometimes  with  very  serious 
consequences.  To  a  stranger,  European  "  bun- 
galows "  in  the  tropics  seem  needlessly  large. 
"  Globe-trotters  "  in  general,  and  sometimes  rep- 
resentatives of  missionary  societies,  it  is  to  be 
feared,  visiting  the  tropics  in  the  coolest  season, 
— carry  away  this  impression  with  them.  In 
New  England  there  is  a  saying  "  You  must  sum- 
mer him  and  winter  him"  to  find  out  the  real 
worth  of  a  man  or  beast  Could  all  who  visit  the 
tropics,  or  presume  to  write  of  conditions  in  the 
tropics, — spend  a  whole  year  in  such  a  climate 
critics  would  be  few,  and  funds  for  seemingly  ex- 
pensive, though  necessary  buildings  less  grudg- 
ingly given. 

They  who  urge  that  Europeans  should  clothe 
like  the  natives  would  surely  allow  exceptions  to 
the  rule,  on  closer  study  of  native  habits. 

Among  some  of  the  tribes  of  Burma  the  ques- 
tion of  wardrobe  and  latest  style  would  be  easily 
solved.  Clothing  like  such  natives  would  greatly 
reduce  the  expense  for  "  outfit."  Two  strips  of 
cotton  cloth,  one  for  the  head,  the  other  for  the 


30  Among  the  Burmans 

loins,  would  meet  all  requirements  even  on  state 
occasions.  But  apart  from  all  questions  of  com- 
mon decency,  it  is  to  be  seriously  doubted 
whether  the  European  would  enjoy  "  sailing 
under  bare  poles  "  in  a  tropical  sun. 

The  railway  trains  are  provided  with  first,  sec- 
ond, and  third-class  compartments.  Officials  and 
wealthy  business  men  travel  first-class.  Less 
fortunate  Europeans,  and  people  of  mixed  race 
but  with  European  habits  travel  second-class. 
Natives,  as  a  rule,  go  third-class, — but  the  rule 
has  many  exceptions.  Not  to  speak  of  well- 
to-do  Burmans  and  Chinese,  who,  though  un- 
objectionable in  dress, — are  inveterate  smokers, 
the  "  chetties,"  or  money-lenders  invariably 
travel  second-class.  They  are  the  wealthiest 
men  in  the  county,  but  with  the  exception  of 
coolies, — they  wear  the  least  clothing  and  are  the 
most  offensive  in  their  habits.  The  missionaries, 
whether  on  private  or  mission  business,  being 
unable  to  bear  the  expense  of  the  higher  class, 
and  striving  to  save  for  the  society  which  they 
represent,  travel  second-class.  Now  that  many 
very  objectionable  natives  have  taken  to  riding 
second-class,  it  is  no  longer  respectable  for  Eu- 
ropeans, except  on  rare  occasions  when  the  train 
is  not  crowded.  For  my  own  part,  I  seriously 
doubt  whether  this  habit,  on  the  part  of  Ameri- 
can missionaries,  of  taking  an  inferior  place 
among  so-called  "  Europeans,"  is  a  wise  policy. 


Rwv   M.\Ti:i;i  M.    (Kachins) 


KaCIUNS    SACKIFUI.Nd    TO    IJkmons 


Living  Like  the  Natives  31 

But  whether  wise  or  otherwise,  lack  of  funds  has 
made  it  necessary. 

Far  from  adopting  the  impossible  costume  of 
Chins,  Kachins,  Salongs  and  other  benighted 
races,  the  missionaries  are  earnestly  striving  to 
develop  in  the  natives  sufficient  moral  sense  that 
they  may  come  to  regard  the  matter  of  being 
clothed  at  all,  as  something  more  than  a  minor 
consideration.  It  is  true  that  Burmans,  Shans, 
and  Christian  Karens  dress  more  respectably. 
In  fact,  their  costume,  at  its  best,  seems  to  be 
very  well  adapted  to  the  climate  and  their  man- 
ner of  life.  But  even  this  somewhat  generous 
concession  must  be  modified. 

The  customary  skirt  for  Burmese  women  in 
Upper  Burma,  and  more  or  less  throughout  the 
country,  is  a  piece  of  coloured  cloth  about  a  yard 
square,  fastened  around  the  waist  to  open  in 
front.  This  style  of  skirt  is  said  to  have  been 
adopted  by  a  decree  of  the  Burman  King.  Mul- 
titudes of  Burmese  women  seem  to  have  no 
disposition  to  abandon  it  for  something  more 
modest,  even  after  eighteen  years  of  British  rule. 
Elderly  women,  as  well  as  men  of  all  ages,  wear 
nothing  above  the  waist  while  about  their  work, 
even  passing  through  the  streets  in  that  condition 
with  no  self-consciousness.  The  Burmese  skirt 
made  after  the  most  approved  pattern  is  only 
one  thickness  of  cloth,  tightly  fitting  the  body, 
not  such  a  dress  as  European  ladies  would  care 


32  Among  the  Burmans 

to  wear.  Mrs.  Judson,  ministering  to  her  im- 
prisoned husband,  felt  compelled  to  adopt  the 
native  costume,  to  make  her  position  more  secure. 
But  supposing  the  missionaries  adopt  the  cos- 
tume of  the  corresponding  class, — the  priests  and 
nuns, — they  must  go  with  bare  feet  and  shaven 
heads ;  all  very  well  for  the  natives,  but  nothing 
short  of  ridiculous,  as  well  as  extremely  danger- 
ous under  a  tropical  sun,  if  practiced  by  white 
people.  In  the  interior  of  China  the  costume  of 
the  people  has  been  found  very  suitable  for  the 
missionaries,  and  a  help  to  winning  their  way. 
But  wherever  the  people  have  become  familiar 
with  European  customs,  respect  is  forfeited, 
yather  than  gained  by  exchanging  European  cus- 
toms for  those  of  the  natives. 

A  missionary  and  his  wife  recently  returned 
from  Africa  were  invited  to  speak  in  a  certain 
church  dressed  in  the  native  costume.  They  ap- 
peared, but  in  their  usual  attire.  In  the  course 
of  his  remarks  the  missionary  referred  to  the  re- 
quest that  they  appear  in  native  costume,  and 
drawing  a  piece  of  cotton  cloth  from  his  pocket 
remarked  "  TJiat  is  the  costume, — you  will  ex- 
cuse us  ?  " 

Eating  like  the  natives, — here  comes  the  tug-of- 
war.  The  "  backward  tribes," — Chins,  Kachins, 
Salongs,  many  tribes  of  Karens,  and  others,  eat 
everything, — from  the  white  ant  to  the  white- 
eyed  monkey.     Worms,  beetles,  maggots,  lizards, 


Living  Like  the  Natives  33 

snakes,  and  many  other  such  delicious  morsels 
would  form  a  part  of  one's  daily  diet, — a  necessary 
part,  unless  the  missionary  has  supplied  himself 
with  tinned  provisions, — in  which  case  he  would 
not  be  living  like  the  natives.  But  we  will  suppose 
that  the  missionary's  lot  has  "  fallen  in  pleasant 
places  " — among  the  more  civilized  Burmans  of 
th  3  plains.  Rice  will  be  the  centre  and  substance 
of  the  two  daily  meals.  Rice,  well-cooked, — the 
natives  can  do  that  to  perfection, — is  an  excel- 
lent food,  and  finds  a  conspicuous  place  on  the 
bill  of  fare  at  every  European  table.  But  rice  is 
made  palatable  by  the  savoury  "  curry  "  served 
with  it.  In  jungle-villages,  and  among  poor  peo- 
ple in  the  town  this  curry  will  be  made  of  veg- 
etables (not  such  vegetables  as  we  have  known 
in  the  home-land),  and  tender  sprouts  and  leaves, 
seasoned  with  chillies.  Devout  Buddhists  will 
not  take  animal  life,  hence  meat-curries,  if  far 
from  the  market,  may  not  be  thought  of. 

If  the  missionary  has  undertaken  to  live  among 
the  natives  and  like  the  natives,  he  must  learn  to 
do  without  meat.  They  will  not  kill  a  fowl  for 
him.  If  he  kills  one  for  himself,  he  has  broken 
his  contract.  But,  perchance,  an  animal  may 
die  of  itself,  then  its  carcass  will  be  parcelled  out 
to  all  the  villagers,  and  the  missionary  will  have 
his  share.  In  the  town  he  may  fare  better,  with- 
out breaking  his  rule.  Meat  slaughtered  by  non- 
Buddhists  is  on  sale  in  the  Bazar  every  day. 


34  Among  the  Burmans 

Buddhists  as  well  as  others  may  buy  and  eat, 
for  the  sin  is  only  in  the  killing,  in  which  they 
had  no  part.  It  is  nothing  to  them  that  the  de- 
mand occasions  the  supply.  So  what  time  the 
missionary  spends  in  town  he  may  have  his 
meat. 

In  spite  of  the  commandment, "  thou  shalt  not 
take  the  life  of  any  living  thing,"  undoubtedly 
the  most  important  Thou  shalt  not — in  the 
Buddhist  creed,  with  the  penalty  of  the  lowest 
hell  for  its  violation, — there  is  no  lack  of  fisher- 
men. Theoretically,  they  are  the  lowest  of  the 
low.  But  if  all  fishermen  were  to  die  to-day — 
their  places  would  be  filled  to-morrow,  and  the 
market  still  be  supplied.  The  natives  want  fish 
seven  days  in  the  week,  if  they  can  get  it.  But 
not  even  a  fresh-meat  or  fresh  fish-curry  is  satis- 
factory to  the  native  palate  until  flavoured  with 
dried  fish,  or  with  "  nga-pee."  In  the  Bazar  may 
be  found  smoked  and  dried  fish  in  great  variety, 
very  tempting  to  the  native,  but  betraying  the 
fact  that  too  many  hours  under  a  tropical  sun 
were  allowed  before  curing.  This  fish  is  often 
eaten  raw,  in  blissful  ignorance  of  the  microbe 
theory, — indifference  would  be  the  better  word, 
for  their  "  microbes "  frequently  are  visible  to 
the  naked  eye.  If  these  organisms  have  not 
actually  eaten  part  of  the  fish,  they  are  consid- 
ered so  much  clear  gain  to  the  consumer.  Such 
food  is  largely  responsible  for  the  great  demand 


Living  Like  the  Natives  35 

for  a  strong  vermifuge  in  the  treatment  of  sick- 
ness. 

Now  we  come  to  "  nga-pee  "  proper,  regarded 
by  the  Burmans  and  several  other  races,  as  essen- 
tial to  a  well-flavoured  meal. 

"  The  smell  of  nga-pee  is  certainly  not  charm- 
ing to  an  uneducated  nose," — said  a  writer  on 
Burmese  customs, — a  statement  that  has  passed 
unchallenged.  There  are  many  varieties  of  nga- 
pee,  but  to  all  the  remark  quoted  may  be  ap- 
plied. The  most  common  is  called  fish-paste  or 
"  Burmese  butter,"  made  from  the  smaller  fish 
which  are  caught  in  large  quantities,  as  smelts 
are  in  the  home-land.  The  fish  are  spread  on 
mats  under  a  tropical  sun,  just  as  they  come 
from  the  water,  and  left  there  until  in  a  condition 
which  an  "  uneducated  nose  "  would  not  care  to 
investigate. 

They  are  then  mashed  to  a  paste, — a  very  easy 
matter, — salt  is  worked  into  the  mass,  and  then 
it  is  packed  away  to  drain.  The  oily  juice  is 
carefully  saved  in  earthern  jars,  a  highly  prized 
liquid  flavouring.  When  well  drained  the  nga- 
pee  is  taken  to  market  in  sacks  or  in  bulk,  the 
indescribable  odour  always  going  a  mile  in  ad- 
vance, when  the  wind  is  right.  Passengers  by 
river-steamers  sometimes  find  themselves  sand- 
wiched in  between  two  cargo-boats  loaded  with 
nga-pee,  fairly  sizzling  under  a  broiling  sun.  Pas- 
senger trains  halting  at  stations  sometimes  stand 


36  Among  the  Burmans 

over  against  a  few  carloads  of  nga-pee  on  the 
side-track,  filling  the  passenger-compartments 
with  an  odour  rank  and  unbearable.  And  yet  this 
vile  stuff  is  eagerly  devoured  by  all  races,  and 
must  be  allowed  a  place  in  the  missionary's  meal, 
if  he  is  to  "  live  like  the  natives."  Nga-pee  fur- 
nishes only  one,  though  a  very  self-assertive  one 
of  the  many  offensive  smells  of  an  Oriental  Bazar. 
Many  fastidious  people  never  go  to  the  Bazar, 
for  fear  of  contracting  some  kind  of  disease. 
There  is  much  in  the  condition  of  these  places  to 
furnish  ground  for  such  fears.  And  yet  I  never 
have  heard  of  disease  being  so  taken.  It  would 
seem  that  one  odour  counteracts  another,  com- 
pletely foiling  all  evil  intentions  of  the  spirit  of 
sickness. 


Ill 

CUSTOMS  OF  THE  BURMESE 

THE  Burman  is  the  proudest  mortal  on 
earth.  Indeed,  he  is  not  of  earth,  ac- 
cording to  his  own  beUef,  but  has  de- 
scended from  fallen  angels.  Many  ages  ago  cer- 
tain Brahmas  came  down  from  the  celestial  re- 
gions to  dwell  on  the  earth.  By  adapting  them- 
selves to  the  habits  of  ordinary  human  beings, 
they  themselves  gradually  became  human.  From 
these  Brahmas  or  fallen  angels,  the  whole  Burman 
nation  descended. 

The  Burman  recognizes  no  superior.  The  su- 
perior advantages  of  a  training  in  the  Western 
world  counts  for  nothing,  because  the  Burman 
cannot  appreciate  such  advantages.  At  one  time 
when*in  conversation  with  a  Burman  official  rec- 
ognized as  one  of  the  ablest  Burmans  in  the 
country,  I  dilated  upon  the  extent,  power,  wealth, 
and  resources  of  the  United  States,  in  answer  to 
his  many  questions  about  my  country. 

Wishing  to  impress  him,  I  made  the  figures  as 
large  as  conscience  would  allow.  At  last  he 
summed  it  all  up  in  the  self-satisfied  expression — 
"  About  as  big  as  Burma,  isn't  it  ?  "  A  differ- 
ence of  about  70,000,000  in  population  was  not 
37 


38  Among  the  Burmans 

comprehended.  He  could  conceive  of  nothing 
bigger  or  more  important  than  Burma.  The 
Burman  kings  posed  as  the  Head  of  Rehgion. 
The  king  was  more  than  human.  His  subjects 
were  his  slaves,  with  no  legal  right  to  anything 
which  he  might  crave  for  himself.  He  could 
compel  them  to  perform  any  labour  he  saw 
fit  to  impose.  His  titles  indicate  his  high  esti- 
mate of  himself:  "  His  glorious  and  excellent 
Majesty,  Lord  of  Elephants,  Lord  of  gold,  silver, 
rubies,  amber,  and  the  noble  serpentine.  Sover- 
eign of  the  Empires  of  Thunapurtanta  and  Jam- 
budipa,  and  other  great  Empires  and  countries, 
and  of  all  the  Umbrella-bearing  chiefs.  The  sup- 
porter of  Religion,  Descendant  of  the  Sun,  Ar- 
biter of  Life,  King  of  Righteousness,  King  of 
Kings,  and  Possessor  of  boundless  dominion  and 
supreme  wisdom."  That  is  all.  It  was  well  to 
be  somewhat  modest,  as  an  example  to  the 
people. 

The  king  was  "  Lord  of  the  White  Elephant," 
for  short.  That  in  itself  ought  to  have  satisfied 
a  man  of  ordinary  ambition,  inasmuch  as  the 
white  elephant  was  a  sacred  animal,  and  had  the 
"  power  of  making  its  possessor  invincible." 
"  The  white  umbrella  was  the  emblem  of  sov- 
ereignty in  Burma,  and  its  use  was  limited  to  the 
king  and  the  images  of  Gautama."  The  Bud- 
dhist priest  must  be  content  with  a  more  modest 
title  than  "  Pongyi,"  the  name  by  which  they 


Customs  of  the  Burmese  39 

are  now  known, — for  pongyi  means  "  Great 
Glory,"  and  could  be  applied  only  to  the  king. 
But  when  the  king  fell  into  the  hands  of  the 
English  the  title  "  Great  Glory  "  went  broadcast 
— to  minister  to  the  vanity  of  the  thousands  of 
priests  and  to  be  retained  by  them  as  a  monopoly. 
Burman  officials  to  this  day  are  equally  proud  of 
their  titles,  from  the  highest  in  the  land  down  to 
the  Ywa-Thugyi,  the  village  headman.  To  ad- 
dress any  official  by  name  instead  of  his  title, 
would  be  a  gross  breach  of  etiquette.  In  the 
king's  time  official  etiquette  was  scrupulously 
observed,  even  towards  prisoners  of  the  official 
class.  Royal  blood  must  never  be  shed,  even  in 
executions.  A  blow  from  a  bludgeon  on  the 
back  of  the  neck  of  the  stooping  victim, — or  in 
the  case  of  females,  a  blow  on  the  front  of  the 
neck  settled  the  account.  Nor  might  royal  vic- 
tims be  buried.  The  body,  enshrouded  in  a  red 
velvet  sack,  was  taken  in  a  boat  to  the  middle  of 
the*river,  and  thrown  in.  It  is  said  that  this  was 
sometimes  done  without  the  formality  of  an  exe- 
cution, a  few  stones  in  the  sack  answering  the 
same  purpose.  Crucifixion  was  also  common. 
It  is  claimed  that  in  many  instances  the  victim 
was  first  put  to  death  and  then  the  mutilated 
body  bound  to  the  bamboo  cross  and  exhibited 
as  a  fearful  warning  to  evil-doers.  Dread  of  be- 
ing crucified  led  thousands  to  migrate  to  British 
territory   after   the   annexation   of    Pegu.     The 


40  Among  the  Burmans 

ugly  terms  "  imprisonment,"  and  "  execution " 
were  never  used  at  the  court  of  the  king.  There 
was  a  "  keeping  by  "  and  a  "  clearing  away,"  to 
suit  the  caprice  of  the  king,  scores  and  hundreds 
being  massacred  at  once,  on  the  merest  suspicion 
of  conspiracy.  "  Uneasy  lies  the  head  that  wears 
a  crown,"  was  true  of  Burman  kings,  and  they 
had  a  way  of  making  all  others  of  royal  blood 
equally  uneasy. 

One  of  the  causes  leading  to  the  last  Burmese- 
English  war,  was  the  famous  "  Shoe  question." 
According  to  the  Burmese  custom,  sandals  must 
be  removed  outside  the  entrance,  whether  of 
private  residence  or  royal  palace.  When  a  sub- 
ject of  however  exalted  rank  was  admitted  to  the 
presence  of  the  king,  he  must  come  in  his  bare 
feet,  and  approach  in  a  crouching  position  so 
that  his  skirt  would  prevent  his  feet  being  seen 
by  the  fastidious  eyes  of  the  king.  Heads  have 
been  lost  for  violation  of  less  important  rules  of 
etiquette.  Representatives  of  the  British  Gov- 
ernment were  compelled  to  follow  this  humiliat- 
ing custom, — though  they  were  graciously  al- 
lowed to  keep  their  stockings  on, — and  to  sit  on 
the  floor  at  a  respectful  distance  from  His  Maj- 
esty, Lord  of  the  White  Elephant,  etc.,  etc.  The 
Briton  thought  this  inconsistent  with  proper 
respect  for  the  government  he  represented,  to 
say  nothing  of  his  own  personal  feelings.  Dip- 
lomatic    negotiations    were     delayed,    for    the 


Customs  of  the  Burmese  4I 

haughty  king  would  allow  no  deviation  from 
this  humiliating  custom.  Although  the  war  was 
not  declared  on  this  issue,  English  officials  who 
had  been  required  to  remove  their  shoes,  found 
great  satisfaction  in  requiring  the  king  to  re- 
move his  crown.  The  custom  of  taking  off  one's 
sandals  when  entering  any  house  still  prevails. 
Entering  with  sandals  on  could  only  be  inter- 
preted as  a  deliberate  insult.  When  a  European 
enters  a  monastery  he  is  expected  to  take  off  his 
shoes,  though  the  priest  does  not  insist  upon  it — 
when  informed  that  it  is  not  European  custom. 

If  twenty  men  come  to  see  the  missionary,  the 
last  man  must  step  over  nineteen  pairs  of  sandals 
at  the  foot  of  the  stairs.  But  when  it  comes  to 
head-gear,  the  custom  is  reversed.  While  Eu- 
ropeans would  take  off  their  hats,  the  Burmans 
do  not  remove  their  gamig-baiaigs,  or  turbans. 
The  gaung-baimg  is  usually  of  gaudy  silk,  and 
worn  at  all  times,  even  at  worship,  by  both  Bud- 
tihist  and  Christian. 

When  Saul  had  been  informally  proclaimed 
King  of  Israel,  the  people  "  despised  him,  and 
brought  him  no  present."  This  would  not  have 
happened  in  Burma,  as  the  attitude  of  men  from 
whom  presents  would  naturally  be  expected, — 
unless  perchance  they  had  ceased  to  value  that 
portion  of  their  bodies  above  the  shoulders. 
Whether  king,  subordinate  official,  or  private 
citizen,  a  present  suited  to  the  weight  of  the  mat- 


42  Among  the  Burmans 

ter  in  hand  was  an  essential  preliminary  to  a 
hearing.  Under  British  rule,  Burman  officials  do 
not  openly  perpetuate  this  custom.  They  now 
content  themselves  with  bribes  quietly  presented, 
usually  through  a  third  party,  in  place  of  the 
present  once  openly  offered.  But  in  social  life 
the  custom  of  making  presents  is  a  recognized 
matter  of  etiquette,  even  when  visiting  non- 
official  superiors.  It  commonly  takes  the  form 
of  a  tray  of  the  choicest  fruit  procurable.  But 
in  the  majority  of  instances  it  finally  appears 
that  some  favour  or  other  is  being  sought. 

Poor  people  sometimes  come  with  a  bunch  of 
plantains  or  a  few  oranges  which  they  beg  us 
graciously  to  accept  as  a  token  of  their  great 
esteem,  and  then  hang  around  the  place  waiting 
for  a  return  present  of  ten  times  the  value  of 
their  own.  The  European  soon  becomes  suspi- 
cious of  presents  as  likely  to  prove  more  expen- 
sive than  the  regular  Bazar  rate. 

A  missionary  to  the  Indians  in  British  Colum- 
bia relates  a  story  which,  so  far  as  motive  is  con- 
cerned, might  have  been  matched  in  Burma. 
One  day  an  Indian  gave  them  two  fat  ducks. 
"  What  shall  I  pay  for  them  ?  "  "  Oh,  nothing, 
they  are  a  present  for  the  missionary."  The  In- 
dian hung  around,  remained  to  dinner,  ate  one 
of  the  ducks,  remained  through  the  afternoon, 
ate  the  equivalent  of  the  other  duck,  remained 
until  bedtime,  when  the  missionary  hinted  that 


Customs  of  the  Burmese  43 

perhaps  he  had  better  go  home  to  see  if  his  wig- 
wam was  where  he  left  it.  "  I'm  only  waiting." 
"  Waiting  for  what  ?  "  *'  Waiting  for  the  present 
you  are  to  give  me  for  the  present  I  gave  you." 

A  peculiar  custom  that  always  impresses  the 
newcomer,  is  that  of  doing  obeisance,  called 
"  shikkoing."  When  the  devout  worshipper 
counts  the  beads  on  his  rosary  he  repeats  the 
formula  with  each  bead  "  Lord,  Law,  Priest — the 
three  precious  things  "  or  objects  of  his  worship. 

As  a  counterpart  of  this  formula  he  goes 
through  three  prostrations,  with  palms  together, 
bowing  his  face  to  the  ground  in  honour  of  the 
three  precious  things  of  his  creed.  These  pros- 
trations are  also  gone  through  at  confessional  be- 
fore the  priest, — one  of  the  "  precious  things  "  be- 
fore mentioned.  He  does  not  enumerate  his 
sins,  but  lumps  them,  declaring  that  for  all  the 
sins  he  has  committed  he  prostrates  himself  three 
times,  in  honour  of  the  three  precious  things, 
and  hopes  thereby  to  be  freed  from  all  punish- 
ments and  calamities.  In  respect  to  both  spirit 
and  method  this  custom  reminds  one  of  a  certain 
man  who  used  to  hang  his  clumsily  written 
prayer  to  the  bedpost,  saying  as  he  crawled  into 
bed,  "  Lord,  them's  my  sentiments."  After  his 
lump-sum  confession  he  receives  the  priest's 
benediction,  which  is  practically  the  same  as  ab- 
solution, and  goes  away,  the  self-complacent 
pharisee  that  he  is. 


44  Among  the  Burmans 

What  astonishes  and  shocks  the  missionary  is 
to  find  a  heathen  Burman  at  his  feet  going 
through  this  seeming  act  of  worship.  He  feels 
as  horrified  as  did  Paul  and  Barnabas  at  Lystra. 
But  he  afterwards  learns  when  he  comes  to  un- 
derstand the  Burman  better, — that  these  prostra- 
tions before  superiors  are  not  intended  as  acts  of 
real  worship.  He  is  merely  showing  his  humble 
respect,  as  a  preliminary  to  some  appeal  for  favour. 

English  officials  require  from  non-Christian 
natives  the  same  tokens  of  respect  that  were  in 
vogue  prior  to  the  annexation.  Native  Chris- 
tians are  exempt  from  all  customs  which  savour 
of  Buddhism. 

The  idol  and  the  priest  alike  represent  Gau- 
tama, the  only  god  the  Buddhist  knows.  The 
attitude  of  the  Burman  mind  may  be  illustrated 
by  what  a  Burman  Christian  boy  told  me  of  his 
experience  when  he  visited  his  native  village. 
In  response  to  an  invitation  he  went  to  see  the 
old  priest,  who  had  known  him  as  a  child.  The 
priest  was  held  in  honour  both  by  virtue  of  office, 
and  his  advanced  age.  The  young  Christian 
went  through  the  customary  prostrations  respect- 
fully, and  then  said,  "  I  do  not  shikko  you  as 
God,  but  because  I  do  not  know  of  any  other  way 
to  show  my  respect."  The  heathen  Burman  is 
in  the  same  difficulty  when  he  appears  in  the 
presence  of  a  foreigner  whom  he  wishes  to 
honour. 


Customs  of  the  Burmese  45 

This  Oriental  mode  of  showing  reverence,  not 
necessarily  worship,  throws  light  on  the  word 
"  worship,"  so  often  used  by  Matthew. 

The  Burman  is  a  religious  animal,  both  terms 
emphasized.  He  has  many  religious  festivals, 
and  every  festival  is  a  feast.  The  casual  observer 
would  see  but  little  difference  between  the  street 
processions  of  weddings  and  funerals.  There  are 
the  same  tom-toms,  the  same  grotesque  dancing, 
the  same  stuffing  of  insatiable  stomachs.  Among 
Chins  and  Kachins  such  occasions  are  scenes  of 
drunkenness  and  disorder.  Not  so  among  the 
Burmans.  Many  have  contracted  the  drink 
habit  by  contact  with  Europeans,  but  the  use  of 
intoxicants  has  not  yet  become  a  national  vice. 
The  Burman  attends  all  feasts  and  festivals  be- 
cause it  is  unchangeable  custom  to  do  so  ;  because 
everybody  else  will  be  there,  and  he  enjoys  being 
in  a  crowd ;  because  it  gives  him  an  excuse  for 
abstaining  from  work,  which  he  does  not  enjoy ; 
because  he  can  array  himself  in  his  best  silk  skirt 
and  gaung-baung,  and  will  find  all  the  ladies 
there  similarly  arrayed ;  and  most  of  all  because 
whatever  the  occasion,  it  will  be  a  feast.  During 
the  rainy  season,  which  coincides  with  "  Buddhist 
Lent "  no  feasts  or  festivals  are  held. 

Funerals  cannot  always  be  postponed,  espe- 
cially as  there  is  much  sickness  in  the  rainy  sea- 
son, but  weddings  are  prohibited.     Courting  may 


46  Among  the  Burmans 

be  indulged  in  on  the  sly,  to  shorten  the  process 
when  Lent  is  over. 

At  the  beginning  of  Lent  there  is  a  great  fes- 
tival, entered  into  with  enthusiasm  because  it  will 
be  the  last  for  several  months.  At  the  end  of 
Lent  there  is  another  great  festival,  hilariously- 
enjoyed  because  the  dull  rainy  Lenton  period 
with  its  round  of  Duty-days  without  the  craved 
accompaniments  is  over  at  last.  Even  the  priests 
enjoy  it,  for  presents  to  the  monasteries,  which 
had  fallen  off  during  Lent,  will  now  be  renewed. 
The  young  are  again  free  to  pair.  The  whole 
town  is  illuminated.  Fire-balloons  are  sent  up, 
with  reckless  disregard  to  safety  of  their  houses. 
All  are  bent  on  having  a  good  time.  It  is  a 
religious  festival,  to  be  sure,  each  separate 
observance  being  in  honour  of  some  nat  or 
divinity — but  there  will  be  time  enough  to  medi- 
tate on  all  that  afterwards.  For  the  present  it  is  a 
round  of  picnic  enjoyment. 

The  Burman  era  began  in  639  a.  d.  The  New 
Year  begins  in  April. 

The  month  is  reckoned  from  midway  between 
two  full  moons.  Any  Burman  can  readily  give 
you  the  date,  according  to  the  Burman  system, 
but  very  few  have  mastered  the  European  cal- 
endar. The  date  is  given  as  so  many  days  before 
or  after  the  full  of  the  moon.  The  New  Year  is 
always  celebrated  by  the  "  Water-feast."  Offer- 
ings of  pots  of  water  are  taken  to  the  monaster- 


Customs  of  the  Burmese  47 

ies,  the  images  of  Gautama  given  their  annual 
washing  down,  and  then  the  show  begins. 
Boisterous  young  men  arm  themselves  with 
buckets  or  chatties  of  water,  froHcsome  damsels 
with  cups,  and  the  boys  with  bamboo  squirt- 
guns,  each  and  all  bent  on  douching  everybody 
else.  By  some  means  or  other  everybody  gets 
his  share.  He  would  feel  slighted  if  he  did  not 
receive  a  due  share  of  liquid  attention.  The  use 
of  water  at  the  beginning  of  the  year  has  a  relig- 
ious significance, — but  let  the  priest  and  the  pious 
attend  to  that.  The  young  folks  are  in  for  a 
jolly  good  time,  and  they  get  it.  At  the  begin- 
ning of  November  there  is  another  feast  in 
honour  of  the  time  when  Gautama  Buddha  made 
a  visit  to  the  celestial  regions  to  preach  to  his 
mother.  Then  on  the  full  moon  of  November 
another  feast  in  honour  of  the  time  when  Gau- 
tama became  a  Buddha  under  the  bawdee-tree. 
Lesser  feasts  occur  at  intervals  until  Lent  begins 
again.  What  with  all  the  religious  feasts,  the 
weddings,  ear-borings,  funerals,  etc.,  etc.,  the 
Burman  suffers  no  lack  of  enjoyment.  He  man- 
ages to  get  some  fun  out  of  everything,  the 
funeral  being  no  exception.  He  will  dance  and 
sing  on  the  way  to  the  cemetery,  and  race  bul- 
lock-carts on  the  way  home.  The  funeral  of  a 
priest  often  resolves  itself  into  a  tug  of  war. 
Two  stout  ropes  are  attached  to  each  end  of  the 
four-wheeled  cart  on  which  the  casket  has  been 


48  Among  the  Burmans 

placed.  The  crowd  divides  itself  into  two  parties, 
the  ropes  are  seized,  and  the  struggle  begins. 
Up  the  street  the  cart  is  dragged  with  a  great 
hurrah,  until  reinforcements  strengthen  the  op- 
posing party,  then  the  cart  takes  a  lurch  in  the 
other  direction,  its  lofty  spire  swaying  in  a 
threatening  manner.  Back  and  forth  goes  the 
cart,  the  exciting  contest  sometimes  lasting  for 
hours.  Merit  is  gained  by  drawing  the  pongyis' 
remains  to  the  funeral  pyre.  Of  course  the  pyre- 
ward  side  must  ultimately  win,  or  there  would  be 
no  cremation. 

The  rope-pull  is  sometimes  resorted  to  in  much 
the  same  manner  to  break  a  prolonged  drought. 
Whether  successful  or  not,  as  raip-makers,  they 
have  the  sport.  Is  the  Burman  lazy  ?  he  cer- 
tainly has  that  reputation,  and  I  never  heard  it 
disputed  by  employers  of  Burman  labour.  His 
services  would  be  better  appreciated  were  he  as 
punctual  at  the  beginning  of  the  day  as  he  is  at 
its  close,  and  as  diligent  in  the  use  of  his  tools  as 
he  is  in  keeping  his  cheroot  lighted.  He  must 
have  some  credit  for  hard  work  to  leave  so  many 
things  undone.  At  "  turning  off  work  "  he  has 
no  superior.  He  invariably  turns  off  all  the  work 
he  can, — and  does  the  rest.  And  yet  when  one 
reflects  that  outside  of  the  delta  nearly  all  of  the 
hard  work  of  cultivation  in  the  plains  is  done  by 
Burmans  one  feels  compelled  to  reconsider  his 
verdict  as  to  the  Burman's  capacity  for  work. 


Customs  of  the  Burmese  49 

No  man  can  tell  by  a  Burman's  clothing  whether 
he  is  rich  or  poor.  All  that  a  man  hath  will  he 
give  for  a  silk  skirt.  In  "  the  good  old  times  " 
when  the  king's  will  was  law  subordinate  officials 
made  demands  for  money  wherever  appearances 
indicated  that  money  existed,  to  make  up  the 
amount  of  revenue  called  for.  It  was  then  good 
policy  to  dress  below  one's  ability  rather  than 
above  it,  or  one  might  find  himself  in  an  embar- 
rassing situation.  Moreover,  certain  material, 
style  of  cut,  etc.,  was  reserved  for  royal  blood. 
But  when  the  king  fell,  and  the  Burman  found 
that  the  conqueror's  method  of  raising  revenue 
was  by  equitable  taxation,  royal  customs  went  to 
the  winds.  Young  men  and  maidens,  and  even 
the  middle-aged  blossomed  out  in  gaudy  array 
on  festive  occasions,  though  there  might  not  be 
a  pice  of  loose  change  to  back  it.  Of  all  the 
races  of  Burma  the  Burmese  are  the  cleanliest 
and  dressiest.  The  costume  of  nearly  all  races, 
at  its  best,  is  fairly  respectable  and  suited  to  their 
manner  of  life, — if  they  would  only  keep  it  clean 
and  keep  it  on.  When  one  is  about  to  die  the 
friends  say,  "  Think  not  of  friends  or  of  property, 
— think  only  of  God."  This  sounds  hopeful,  but 
it  is  well  known  that  these  spiritual  advisers  have 
in  mind  only  the  brazen  image  of  Gautama, 
found  in  every  village,  tht  only  god  they 
know. 

When  a  death  occurs  the  pongyis  are  invited 


^o  Among  the  Burmans 

to  the  house,  not  to  console  the  Hving,  but  to 
perform  certain  rites  on  behalf  of  the  dead. 

First  a  priest  repeats  a  formula  something  like 
this,  "  He  worships  God  ;  he  worships  the  law  ; 
he  worships  the  clergy,"  friends  assuming  the  at- 
titude of  worship  as  substitutes  for  the  deceased. 
The  priest  continues — "  He  kills  not,  steals  not, 
commits  no  offense  against  his  neighbour's  wife ; 
lies  not ;  drinks  not.  He  has  all  his  life  been 
careful  about  these  things."  The  formula  ended, 
one  of  the  friends  drops  water  from  a  gurglet  or 
cocoanut  shell  into  a  glass,  to  accompany  an- 
other formula  by  the  priest,  "  May  the  deceased 
enjoy  the  food  of  the  nats.  May  the  nat  of  the 
earth  bear  witness."  The  person  who  pours 
out  the  water  drawls  in  a  loud  voice,  "  Ah-mya- 
myo  " — in  great  abundance  and  variety,  the  peo- 
ple responding,  "  Thah-doo,  thah-doo  " — it  is 
well,  it  is  well.  At  the  grave,  or  in  a  zayat 
nearly  the  same  ceremonies  are  repeated.  The 
priests  have  already  been  feasted  at  the  house, 
and  now  presents  are  given  on  behalf  of  the 
dead,  that  he  may  enjoy  the  same  blessings  in 
the  abode  of  the  nats.  The  priests  do  not 
usually  accompany  the  procession,  but  go  in  ad- 
vance to  the  zayats  near  the  cemetery.  At  death 
a  small  coin  is  placed  in  the  dead  man's  mouth  to 
pay  his  ferry  fare  across  the  mystic  river  of  death. 
Without  the  coin  for  the  ferry  he  could  not  cross, 
but  would  have  to  return  to  this  world  to  suffer 


Customs  of  the  Burmese  51 

— nobody  knows  what.  The  use  of  the  coin  is 
said  to  be  dying  out.  The  coffin  is  swung  end- 
wise over  the  grave  seven  times  (sometimes 
docked  to  three)  as  a  good-bye,  and  to  give  the 
deceased  a  good  start  towards  the  great  Myin-Mo 
Mount,  the  abode  of  the  nats. 

Human  nature  is  much  the  same  the  world 
over.  Courtship  and  marriage  are  universal  cus- 
toms.    Methods  differ,  but  motives  are  the  same. 

The  majority  of  marriages  are  for  love,  or  for 
something  that  has  been  mistaken  for  that  sen- 
timent. When  a  Burmese  young  man  and  maiden 
fancy  each  other  well  enough  to  indulge  in  play- 
ful flirtations  at  pagoda  feasts  and  other  public 
occasions  it  is  pretty  sure  to  develop  into  some- 
thing more  serious.  The  young  lady  is  not  likely 
to  let  a  good  chance  slip  by.  Old-maidhood  is 
dreaded  by  all,  except  the  comparatively  few 
who  become  nuns,  and  many  of  them  are  said  to 
have  become  nuns  because  disappointed  in  love. 
Lover-like  attentions  may  not  be  given  openly. 
Clandestine  meetings  would  scandalize  the  whole 
community. 

At  about  nine  o'clock  in  the  evening  the 
young  man,  accompanied  by  his  friends  ap- 
proaches the  house  of  the  maiden  whose  charms 
cause  his  heart  to  thump  against  his  ribs.'  He 
finds  her  awaiting  his  coming.  But  they  are  not 
to  enjoy  a  fond  tete-a-tete  by  themselves. 
Several  young  lady   friends   are  sitting  on  the 


^2  Among  the  Burmans 

open  veranda  with  her, — and  the  old  lady  peek- 
ing through  a  chink  in  the  bamboo  wall.  It  is 
courtship  under  difficulties,  but  it  means  business 
just  the  same.  The  rules  of  propriety  have  been 
observed,  the  parents  are  satisfied.  As  for  the 
rest,  trust  the  young  folks  to  find  ways  and  means 
to  enjoy  themselves  as  lovers  do  the  world  over. 
Accepting  presents  of  jewelry  from  a  young  man 
is  generally  recognized  as  an  engagement.  Many 
a  maiden  has  allowed  her  fondness  for  jewelry  to 
lead  to  complications  from  which  she  has  diffi- 
culty in  extricating  herself.  According  to  old 
Burmese  law  the  sole  right  to  select  or  reject 
suitors  was  vested  in  the  parents.  The  daughter, 
until  twenty  years  of  age,  was  entirely  under 
their  control. 

The  Dhammathat  says :  "  Amongst  men 
there  are  only  three  ways  of  becoming  man  and 
wife,  which  are  as  follows :  First,  a  man  and 
woman  given  in  marriage  by  their  parents,  who 
live  and  eat  together.  Second,  a  man  and  wife 
brought  together  by  the  intervention  of  a  go- 
between,  who  live  and  eat  together.  Third,  a 
man  and  woman  who  came  together  by  mutual 
consent,  who  live  and  eat  together."  In  question 
of  property  rights  the  most  importance  is 
attached  to  the  first  method.  A  marriage  with- 
out the  consent  of  the  parents,  if  the  girl  is  under 
twenty,  may  be  cancelled  by  the  parents,  if 
action  is  promptly  taken.     The  girl  may  reject 


Customs  of  the  Burmese  53 

the  man  to  whom  she  has  been  betrothed  by  her 
parents,  but  her  decision  is  recognized  only  after 
she  has  run  away  from  him  and  been  forcibly  re- 
stored three  times.  In  like  manner  a  girl  who  has 
been  taken  in  marriage  without  the  consent  of  her 
parents  must  be  restored  to  them  three  times. 
If  she  then  returns  again  to  her  husband  the 
parents'  claim  upon  her  is  forfeited,  because  the 
"  Owner  of  the  daughter  could  not  control  her." 
Widows  and  divorced  women  are  subject  to  no 
control.  While  all  this  is  Buddhist  law,  the  girl, 
as  a  matter  of  fact,  does  about  as  she  pleases  in  the 
matter  of  accepting  or  rejecting,  just  as  they  do 
in  other  lands,  whether  she  is  under  twenty  or 
not.  Neither  Buddhist  law  nor  established  cus- 
tom renders  any  kind  of  a  marriage  ceremony 
essential,  nor  is  registration  of  the  marriage 
necessary.  "  Living  and  eating  together,"  consti- 
tute all  desired  evidence  of  marriage. 

The  first  eating  together  is  something  done  in 
the  presence  of  witnesses  and  so  becomes  in 
itself  a  simple  wedding  ceremony.  This  happy- 
go-lucky  custom  makes  it  exceedingly  difficult 
to  settle  any  questions  in  law  growing  out  of 
such  a  marriage.  A  couple  may  prove  that  they 
are,  or  are  not  husband  and  wife,  as  best  suits 
their  ends.  In  Christian  lands  the  wife  is  some- 
times taken  home  to  live  with  her  mother-in-law. 

In  Burma  the  situation  is  reversed,  the  young 
husband  going  to  live  with  his  wife's  parents. 


j;4  Among  the  Burmans 

By  a  generally  accepted  division  of  labour  the 
wife  is  the  burden-bearer,  while  the  husband  gets 
the  glory  for  what  is  accomplished.  Husband 
and  wife  are  going  into  town  to  exchange  a 
basket  of  rice  for  a  supply  of  putrid  fish  and 
other  necessaries  of  life. 

The  wife  carries  the  basket,  weighing  seventy- 
five  or  one  hundred  pounds,  on  her  head,  the 
husband  with  only  his  ^un-h3.g  slung  over  his 
shoulder  walking  ahead  at  a  gait  which  she  finds 
it  difficult  to  follow. 

The  load  may  now  and  then  be  rested  on  a 
convenient  stump,  or  the  considerate  husband 
helps  to  lower  it  to  the  ground  and  raise  it  to  her 
head  again.  So  accustomed  have  they  become 
to  this  arrangement  that  it  never  occurs  to  either 
party  that  the  man  might  carry  the  load  part  of 
the  time.  Familiar  as  is  this  custom,  it  never 
fails  to  stir  in  my  soul  an  indignant  protest.  But 
the  "  worm  may  turn,"  if  pressed  too  hard, 

A  poor  woman  was  going  to  the  station  to 
take  a  train.  On  her  head  was  a  heavy  load, 
and  on  her  hip  a  child.  Tears  were  trickling 
down  her  cheeks.  The  husband,  carrying  noth- 
ing but  his  umbrella,  was  persistently  tormenting 
her.  At  last  she  deposited  load  and  child  on  the 
ground  none  too  gently,  and  pitched  into  him 
with  great  fury,  cuffing,  scratchkig  and  scream- 
ing all  at  once,  until  he  gave  her  a  wide  berth. 

It  was  one  of  the  most  refreshing  sights  ever 


Customs  of  the  Burmese  ^^ 

witnessed,  in  this  land.  According  to  Buddhism 
the  male  is  far  superior  to  the  female.  No 
woman  can  cherish  the  slightest  hope  of  attaining 
to  Naik-ban.  Her  highest  hope  and  prayer  is 
that  in  the  next,  or  some  future  existence  she 
may  be  born  as  man,  and  so  take  a  fresh  start. 
But  in  this  life  the  Burmese  woman  holds  a 
higher  place  than  is  enjoyed  by  her  sisters  in  any 
other  Oriental  land.  If  divorced  from  her 
husband  she  can  take  away  whatever  property 
she  brought  when  married,  together  with  all  she 
may  have  gained  by  her  own  exertions.  She  is 
by  no  means  a  silent  partner  in  business  affairs. 
Usually  she  has  greater  business  acuteness  than 
her  husband,  and  does  not  hesitate  to  have  a 
voice  in  all  negotiations.  The  Bazar  is  almost 
wholly  run  by  the  women,  each  having  her  own 
stall  and  keeping  her  own  accounts  in  her  head, 
for  she  cannot  read  nor  write.  At  this  point 
women  seem  to  be  inferior,  but  it  is  because  they 
were  excluded  from  the  monastic  school,  and 
never  had  a  chance.  Vastly  better  than  her 
indolent  husband  or  brother  she  knows  how  to 
make  money  and  keep  what  she  makes.  While 
Mohammedan  and  Hindu  women  are  shut  up  in 
harems  and  zenanas,  the  Burmese  women  walk 
the  streets  with  head  erect,  puffing  their  huge 
cheroots  without  the  slightest  thought  of  being  the 
"  weaker  vessel."  The  energy  of  the  Burmese 
women  saves  the  race  from  going  to  the  wall. 


56  Among  the  Burmans 

From  courtship  and  marriage  we  pass  by  a 
natural  transition  to  child-hfe  in  Burma.  The 
crop  of  babies  never  fails.  Parents  would  as  soon 
think  of  failure  of  the  rice  harvest  as  of  a  failure 
to  add  annually  to  the  population  of  the  village, 
and  the  disappointment  would  be  about  the 
same.  If  nature  did  not  defeat  the  barbarous 
methods  of  native  midwives  there  would  be  no 
child-life  to  describe.  But  in  spite  of  methods 
that  would  soon  depopulate  more  civilized  lands, 
every  town  and  village  is  just  romping  full  of 
children.  Boys  run  naked  until  six  or  eight 
years  of  age,  and  girls  until  one  or  two.  Many 
a  time  have  I  seen  parents,  wrapped  in  blankets, 
huddled  around  a  fire  in  the  cool  season  while 
their  infants  and  small  children  had  not  the 
slightest  protection.  There  is  no  intentional 
neglect,  for  the  parents  love  their  children,  but 
it  is  "  custom."  This  custom  supplements  the 
ignorance  of  the  midwives,  and  adds  to  the  num- 
ber of  shallow  little  graves  in  the  adjacent  jungle 
for  the  parish  dogs  to  fight  over.  But  baby  has 
its  cradle  for  its  frequent  naps.  This  is  made  of 
wood  or  wickerwork,  and  suspended  from  a 
bamboo  in  the  floor  or  roof  above.  Sometimes 
this  swinging  cradle  is  a  wide  strip  of  cloth  tied 
together  at  the  ends,  with  the  baby  deposited  in 
the  loop.  Baby  has  not  long  been  in  the  world 
before  it  has  a  name.  The  name  depends  on 
the  day  of  the  week  in  which  it  was  born.     Cer- 


Customs  of  the  Burmese  57 

tain  letters  of  the  alphabet  are  assigned  to  each 
day.  The  baby's  name  must  begin  with  one  of 
the  letters  assigned  to  its  birthday.  There  is  no 
family  name,  nothing  to  indicate  to  what  par- 
ticular family  a  child  belongs.  Each  day  of  the 
week  represents  some  planet,  from  which  it  takes 
its  name.  The  planet  assigned  to  a  particular 
day  will  influence  the  life  of  a  person  born  on 
that  day,  and  determine  his  temperament.  The 
naming  is  done  when  the  baby  is  one  month  old. 
On  the  previous  day  invitations  are  sent  around 
to  the  elders  of  the  village,  who  by  eating  a 
pinch  of  pickled  tea  from  a  cup  sent  by  the  mes- 
senger,— accepts  the  invitation  to  be  present  at 
the  ceremony,  the  parents  make  ready  a  supply 
of  food,  a  feast  being  an  essential  part  of  every 
ceremony.  Invited  guests  bring  presents  of 
money,  precious  stones,  or  jewels,  which  they 
cast  into  a  large  jar  of  water  set  there  for  the 
purpose.  Some  of  the  more  valuable  presents 
are  merely  lent  for  the  occasion,  but  they  help  to 
make  a  show.  When  the  guests  have  enjoyed 
their  pickled  tea,  betel-nut,  and  cheroot,  several 
of  the  elders  proceed  to  bathe  the  baby  in  the 
vessel  containing  the  presents.  Another  repeats 
a  benediction  calling  for  the  continuous  welfare 
of  the  child,  but  limits  it  to  one  hundred  and 
twenty  years.  From  the  centre  of  a  circle  of 
coins  on  a  dish  of  rice  a  cord  of  cotton  thread  is 
taken  and  bound  around  the  child's  wrist.     One 


58  Among  the  Burmans 

of  the  elders  now  announces  the  child's  name, — 
previously  decided  on  by  the  parents, — as  if  it 
were  the  happy  result  of  his  own  meditations. 
This  ceremony  is  to  the  Burman  and  Shan  what 
a  christening  is  to  many  in  other  lands,  in  its  re- 
lation to  a  child's  future.  An  interesting  nam- 
ing ceremony  was  held  by  two  couples  of  native 
Christians,  in  my  mission.  The  missionaries  and 
native  Christians  were  invited  to  a  prayer-meet- 
ing. After  the  meeting  a  number  of  Old  Testa- 
ment names,  written  on  slips  of  paper,  were  put 
in  a  hat  borrowed  from  the  missionary.  The  first 
fond  father  to  put  his  hand  into  the  hat  drew  for 
his  offspring  the  name  Daniel, — which  he  would 
pronounce  Dan-ya-lah.  The  other  father  got 
Moses  as  a  name  for  his  son.  Dan-ya-lah  and 
Maw-shay  they  are  to  this  day. 

It  is  interesting  to  watch  little  children  at  their 
play.  With  sun-dried  marbles,  large  seeds,  or 
peculiarly-shaped  sticks,  plays  have  been  im- 
provised, which,  in  the  course  of  years,  have  be- 
come national  games  for  the  youngsters.  Boys 
and  girls  enjoy  the  sport  together. 

Before  the  English  annexed  the  country  the 
monasteries  were  the  only  schools.  This  is  still 
the  case  in  the  majority  of  villages.  But  every 
Buddhist  boy,  whether  he  has  the  advantage  of 
the  English  schools  or  not,  must  spend  a  few 
months  in  the  monastery.  Until  he  enters  the 
monastery  as  a  probationer  he  is  not  considered 


Customs  of  the  Burmese  59 

a  human  being  in  such  a  sense  that  it  would 
count  in  future  transmigrations.  He  now  re- 
ceives a  new  name,  to  be  used  so  long  as  he 
remains  in  the  monastery.  If  he  finally  becomes 
a  priest  he  retains  the  religious  name  for  life. 

The  novitiate-ceremony  usually  takes  place 
when  the  boy  is  between  ten  and  twelve  years  of 
age.  If  not  already  familiar  with  life  in  the 
monastery,  he  is  taught  how  to  address  the 
priests,  and  conduct  himself  generally.  As  this 
is  the  most  important  event  in  a  Burman  boy's 
life,  the  ceremony  is  made  on  as  grand  a  scale  as 
the  circumstances  and  credit  of  the  boy's  parents 
and  friends  will  permit.  Decked  in  gayest  cos- 
tume and  covered  with  jewelry  he  is  placed  on  a 
pony,  or,  in  the  towns,  in  the  best  vehicle  ob- 
tainable, protected  from  the  sun  by  a  long- 
handled  umbrella,  and  conducted  to  the  homes 
of  his  relatives,  to  bid  them  farewell.  Flashily 
dressed  men  and  women,  boys  and  girls  make 
up  the  procession,  some  of  the  young  men  danc- 
ing and  singing  as  they  go.  All  this  pomp  and 
show,  to  celebrate  renunciation  of  the  world. 

The  farewells  being  said,  the  candidate  is  re- 
conducted to  his  own  home,  where  the  feast  has 
been  prepared,  and  an  elaborate  bamboo  tab- 
ernacle erected,  extending  from  the  house  to  the 
opposite  side  of  the  street.  Here,  in  the  presence 
of  the  priests,  friends,  and  a  host  of  gaudily- 
dressed  spectators  the  actual  ceremony  is  per- 


6o  Among  the  Burmans 

formed.  The  candidate's  finery  gives  way  to  a 
strip  of  white  cloth  fastened  around  his  loins, 
forming  a  very  brief  skirt.  Then  the  barber  is 
called  in  to  deprive  him  of  his  long  hair  and 
shave  his  head.  After  a  bath  he  dresses  and  pre- 
sents himself  before  the  priests,  goes  through  the 
prescribed  prostrations,  repeats  the  memorized 
formula  pledging  himself  as  a  novitiate,  is  duly 
clothed  in  the  yellow  robe  of  the  order,  the 
thabeit  or  begging-bowl  is  given  him,  and  then 
he  joins  the  other  novitiates  in  their  return  to  the 
monastery  in  which  he  is  to  live.  How  sad  it 
seems  to  see  a  small  boy  thus  shut  out  from  the 
gay  world,  at  just  the  time  when  he  is  fullest  of 
fun  and  frolic, — but  not  half  so  sad  as  it  seems. 

Devout  Buddhists  may  compel  their  sons  to  re- 
main in  the  monastery  three  months,  but  to  be- 
come a  priest  is  not  compulsory.  In  many  places 
a  week  is  the  limit.  Not  infrequently  a  boy  who 
has  made  the  round  of  pathetic  farewells,  and 
gone  through  the  whole  ceremony  of  pledging 
himself  to  the  Assembly,  is  back  home  again  be- 
fore night,  having  met  all  actual  demands,  and 
exchanged  his  fine  head  of  hair  for  an  interesting 
experience.  And  right  glad  he  is  to  be  back, 
for  the  feast  is  still  on,  and  he  comes  in  for  a 
share  of  the  dainties.  Comparatively  few  give 
their  lives  to  the  priesthood.  Some  enter  the 
priesthood  later  in  life. 

The  longer  the  term-— the  greater  the  merit. 


Customs  of  the  Burmese  61 

The  number  of  young  men  to  remain  in  the 
monastery  is  steadily  decreasing.  The  same  is 
true  of  the  number  of  men  who  thoroughly 
understand  Buddhism.  The  festivities  have  not 
slackened,  but  with  less  and  less  religious  signifi- 
cance in  the  minds  of  participants.  Having  been 
in  the  monastery  the  boy  has  become  a  human 
being.  But  whether  before  or  after  this  cere- 
mony he  must  receive  the  signs  of  manhood  by 
being  tattooed  from  his  waist  to  his  knees.  If 
this  is  not  done  the  boys  and  girls  will  poke  fun 
at  him  and  call  him  a  woman.  This  tattooing 
may  be  done  piece  by  piece,  at  intervals,  to 
allow  time  for  healing  of  the  surface  covered. 
The  sessamum-oil  lampblack  used  for  ink, 
pricked  into  the  skin  on  a  large  surface  causes  a 
great  deal  of  swelling,  and  sometimes  fever.  The 
professional  tattooer  has  his  figure-patterns  from 
which  the  boy  or  his  parents  may  select. 

The  figures  are  usually  animals,  set  off  with  an 
ornamental  edging.  Few  boys  have  the  nerve  to 
endure  the  pricking  very  long.  This  is  overcome 
by  a  dose  of  opium,  deadening  the  sense  of  feeling, 
and  dazmg  the  mind,  though  not  to  such  an  ex- 
tent as  to  keep  him  from  puffing  his  cheroot 
while  the  operation  is  going  on.  Besides  this 
tattoomg  of  imitation  breeches,  there  are  many 
kinds  of  charms,  done  in  vermilion  on  the  upper 
parts  of  the  body  and  arms,  as  desired  by  the 
superstitious. 


62  Among  the  Burmans 

Schoolboys  have  charms  to  protect  them 
against  the  pain  of  whipping,  young  men  have 
charms  to  make  them  successful  in  their  wooing. 
Soldiers  and  dacoits  have  charms  to  protect 
them  from  bullets  and  da/i-thrusts,  and  every- 
body has  charms  to  render  harmless  all  snake 
and  insect  bites.  Besides  the  tattooed  charms, 
certain  objects  are  inserted  under  the  skin,  or 
carried  about,  according  to  the  superstition  of  the 
individual,  and  representing  about  as  high  a  type 
of  intelligence  as  does  the  horseshoe  over  many 
a  door  in  civilized  lands. 

The  custom  of  tattooing  is  said  to  have  origi- 
nated many  centuries  ago,  when  the  Burmans 
were  subject  to  the  Shan  kings  in  Upper  Burma. 
The  Shans,  who  were  themselves  tattooed, — 
branded  with  tattoo-marks  captives  taken  in  war, 
as  evidence  of  their  servility.  Instead  of  regard- 
ing this  as  humiliating,  the  Burmans  were  proud 
of  their  tattooing,  as  marks  of  the  king.  More- 
over, the  despised  Chins,  wild  tribes  in  the  north- 
western hills,  did  not  tattoo.  A  non-tattooed 
Burman  might  be  mistaken  for  a  Chin,  which 
would  be  humiliating  indeed.  Tattooing  became 
popular,  the  custom  spread  rapidly,  and  now  a 
full-grown  Burman  who  is  not  the  proud  pos- 
sessor of  a  pair  of  tattooed  breeches  that  will 
last  him  a  lifetime,  is  seldom  found.  In  the 
jungle-villages  nearly  every  boy  is  tattooed.  In 
the  towns  the  custom  is  rapidly  dying  out.     Not 


Customs  of  the  Burmese  63 

five  per  cent,  of  Burman  boys  in  the  towns  have 
submitted  to  this  custom.  Town  boys  are  much 
more  afraid  of  being  taken  for  countrymen  than 
of  being  made  fun  of  for  departing  from  the 
time-honoured  custom.  In  fact,  the  town  boy  is 
as  anxious  to  have  it  known  that  he  is  not 
tattooed  as  the  unbreeched  village  boy  would  be 
to  conceal  it. 

The  fact  that  at  the  last  census  nine  hundred 
and  eighty  six  persons  were  returned  as  pro- 
fessional tattooers  indicates  that  their  business  is 
still  thriving,  notwithstanding  tlie  disaffection 
of  the  town  dudes. 

The  desire  to  ape  English  customs  may  have 
something  to  do  with  this  backsliding.  This  is 
also  noticeable  in  the  habit,  now  popular  among 
town  boys,  especially  in  the  schools,  of  cutting 
the  hair  short.  Only  a  few  years  ago  a  cropped 
head  would  have  stamped  one  as  a  convict. 

Girls  are  not  tattooed  except  possibly  an  in- 
visible love-charm, — but  they  furnish  a  compan- 
ion-ceremony, when  ear-boring  time  comes 
round. 

It  answers  to  the  time  when  a  girl  in  the  home- 
land begins  to  think  of  getting  out  of  short 
dresses,  to  be  a  child  no  longer. 

When  an  ear-boring  ceremony  is  announced 
everything  else  must  take  second  place.  The 
day  and  hour  are  fixed  by  the  soothsayer,  but  he 
manages  to  make  his  divinations  harmonize  with 


64  Among  the  Burmans 

the  plans  of  the  parents  who  engaged  his  serv- 
ices. In  spite  of  the  frightened  girl's  screams 
and  struggles  her  ears  are  pierced  with  the  gold 
or  silver  needle  of  the  professional  ear-borer,  the 
tom-toms  and  horns  of  the  band  outside  doing 
their  best  to  drown  her  cries.  The  holes  are 
kept  open  until  they  heal,  and  then  they  are 
gradually  enlarged  by  wearing  glass  or  metal 
tubes  of  increasing  size,  until  finally  a  tube  half 
an  inch  in  diameter  can  be  inserted.  In  the 
olden  time  the  lobe  of  the  ear  was  stretched  much 
more  than  is  now  the  fashion.  I  have  seen  old 
women  with  holes  in  their  ears  through  which 
two  fingers  could  be  passed.  Such  ear-lobes 
furnished  handy  holders  for  their  big  cheroots. 
This  stretching  and  elongating  of  the  lobes  of 
their  ears  formerly  had  a  religious  significance 
that  is  now  being  forgotten.  All  images  of 
Gautama  represent  him  with  ear-lobes  touching 
the  shoulders,  as  a  symbol  of  perfection. 

Devout  women, — and  some  of  the  men, — did 
their  best  to  imitate  his  example.  Ear  jewelry 
may  be  inexpensive  colored  glass,  or  of  gold 
elaborately  designed  and  set  with  precious 
stones. 

Once  her  ears  are  bored  the  girl  puts  an  end 
to  all  street  play  with  small-boy  acquaintances, 
and  poses  as  a  young  lady.  Changes  are  ob- 
served in  the  style  of  dressing  her  hair;  in  her 
costume ;  in  the  use  of  cosmetics, — for  every  Bur- 


Customs  of  the  Burmese  65 

mese  girl,  though  naturally  brown,  desires  to  be 
white;  in  her  bearing  as  she  walks  the  street ;  in 
every  pose  of  her  graceful  body.  She  may  not 
have  so  much  freedom  of  action  as  she  enjoyed 
before,  but  she  knows  it  will  not  be  long  until 
some  choice  young  man  will  want  her,  to  adorn 
his  household. 

The  one  universal  custom,  common  to  all,  both 
men  and  women,  boys  and  girls  alike,  is  the 
filthy  habit  of  kun-chev/ing  and  smoking.  The 
kun-chtw  is  made  up  of  part  of  a  betel  (areca) 
nut,  chopped  fine,  and  an  astringent  green  leaf  of 
a  certain  vine.  A  little  lime-paste,  usually  col- 
oured red,  is  spread  on  the  leaf,  then  it  is  wadded 
up  and  jammed  into  the  side  of  the  mouth,  with 
the  betel  nut.  Saliva  soon  accumulates.  To  ex- 
pectorate would  be  to  lose  some  of  the  small 
pieces  of  the  nut  before  the  good  had  been  ex- 
tracted. Attempts  at  conversation  are  ridiculous 
and  nauseating  in  the  extreme.  When  the  mouth 
can  retain  its  load  no  longer  its  contents  are  dis- 
charged through  a  crack  in  the  floor. 

The  white  pony  of  a  lady-missionary  was  once 
tethered  under  a  native  house  for  the  night. 
What  was  the  lady's  disgust  the  next  morning  to 
find  her  beautiful  pony  all  stained  and  bedaubed 
with  vile  red  hi?i-]nice.  Smoking  is  begun  be- 
fore teething  is  finished.  I  myself  have  seen  a 
mother  take  a  lighted  cheroot  from  her  own 
mouth,  and  put  it  in  the  mouth  of  a  wee  child  in 


66  Among  the  Burmans 

her  arms.  Burmese  ladies  consider  a  cigarthe  fin- 
ishing touch  to  their  preparations  for  a  dress-par- 
ade. But  the  Burman  cigar  contains  but  a  small 
proportion  of  real  tobacco  leaf,  otherwise  the 
smoke-habit  would  soon  kill  off  the  race.  They 
cannot  both  chew  and  smoke  at  the  same  time, 
but  the  twin  habits  keep  them  so  busy  that  they 
accomplish  little  else.  It  is  said  that  the  Burman 
"  smokes  between  chews,  and  chews  between 
smokes." 

It  is  simply  marvellous  how  far  a  Burman  can 
smell  a  rupee,  and  what  methods  he  will  employ 
to  get  it.  Has  the  mission  work  to  be  done  by 
carpenters,  cartmen,  etc.,  heathen  Burmans  are 
not  wanting  who  will  regularly  attend  chapel 
services,  and  pose  as  devout  inquirers  so  long  as 
the  job  lasts.  I  have  known  fortune-tellers, 
teachers,  court-clerks,  and  common  rice-cultiva- 
tors to  become  pretended  disciples  with  no  other 
motive  than  to  become  preachers.  They  know 
that  the  native  evangelists  have  regular  salaries, 
and  that  the  missionary  takes  a  fatherly  interest 
in  their  welfare,  giving  medicine  when  they  are 
ill,  advising  when  they  are  in  difficulty.  Though 
the  salary  is  not  large,  it  secures  a  fairly  com- 
fortable living,  which  is  more  than  many  a 
heathen  is  sure  of  the  year  round.  So  the 
wily  heathen  comes  to  our  people,  pretend- 
ing to  be  deeply  interested  in  Christianity,  ap- 
plies himself  to  learn  all  he  can,  attends  worship, 


Customs  of  the  Burmese  67 

and  finally  asks  for  baptism,  with  every  appear- 
ance of  sincerity.  One  year  we  drew  a  prize, 
*'  Saya  Tike  "  he  waJ!  called,  "  Saya  "  because  he 
had  charge  of  a  small  private  school.  He  was  past 
middle  age,  of  uncommon  intelligence,  and  fine 
bearing.  A  more  earnest  and  devout  inquirer, 
to  all  appearances,  we  never  met.  After  some 
months  of  waiting  he  was  baptized  and  received 
into  the  church.  "Then  began  his  tale  of  woe. 
In  consequence  of  his  becoming  a  Christian  his 
school  had  been  broken  up.  Persecutors  had 
broken  into  his  house  and  stolen  his  clothing. 
Friendless,  penniless,  and  out  of  a  situation,  he 
appealed  to  the  missionary  for  something  to  do. 
Being  fairly  handy  as  a  carpenter  he  was  given 
such  work  on  the  mission  buildings.  After  about 
two  weeks  he  suddenly  disappeared.  Some 
weeks  passed  before  we  could  get  any  clue  to 
his  whereabouts.  Then  one  day  one  of  our 
preachers  met  him  in  a  jungle-village  wearing 
the  yellow  robe  of  a  Buddhist  priest.  When 
asked  why  he  had  left  the  mission  he  complained 
that  instead  of  being  employed  as  a  teacher  he 
had  only  carpenter  work  to  do.  He  preferred  be- 
ing a  "  pongyi,"  and  have  his  food  given  him. 
Some  months  later  he  again  turned  up  at  the 
mission,  professing  repentance  for  his  backslid- 
ing, and  asking  to  be  received  back  again.  Our 
faith  in  him  had  been  badly  shaken,  but  we  tried 
not  to  show  it.     If  we  would  only  give  him  citi- 


68  Among  the  Burmans 

zen's  clothing  in  place  of  his  yellow  robe  he 
would  gladly  go  to  work  again.  Giving  him  the 
benefit  of  a  doubt  I  arranged  with  my  right- 
hand  man  to  give  him  a  longyi,  such  as  the 
other  men  were  wearing.  No,  he  did  not  like  a 
longyi,  but  must  have  the  more  stylish  puhso. 
His  taste  not  being  gratified,  back  he  went  again 
to  his  heathenism.  We  soon  learned  that  all  his 
pathetic  stories  of  persecution  had  been  trumped 
up  for  the  occasion,  to  excite  our  sympathy,  and 
secure  a  position. 

One  day  a  strange  Burman  came  to  the  mis- 
sion. He  said  that  he  was  a  Christian  from  a 
mission  fifty  miles  away.  On  the  train  he  had 
been  robbed  of  his  clothing  and  the  little  money 
he  had.  All  he  wanted  was  to  be  kept  over 
night,  and  money  enough  to  pay  his  way  home. 
The  case  was  referred  to  me.  I  placed  the  re- 
quired sum  in  the  hands  of  my  man  "  Friday  " 
with  instructions  to  give  it  to  the  applicant 
should  he  prove  worthy.  The  next  morning  my 
man  came  to  report,  and  to  give  back  the  money. 
I  said  to  him, "  Well,  Ko  Ngi,  how  did  you  find 
out  that  he  was  a  humbug  ? "  Replying  in 
broken  English,  he  said  •  "  Last  night  we  have 
meeting  (evening  prayers).  I  think,  you  proper 
Christian,  I  make  you  pray.  He  no  know  any- 
thing. He  can't  pray  proper.  Then  I  say — Your 
Saya  (missionary)  how  many  chillen  ?  He  say 
«  Four  little  boy,  so  much  big.'    I  know  he  Saya 


Customs  of  the  Burmese  69 

done  got  five  chillen, — one  so  viucJi  girl  I'  indi- 
cating with  hand  a  full  grown  young  lady.  So 
he  had  sent  the  man  away  without  the  hand  of 
fellowship,  and  returned  the  money. 

Among  non-Christian  Burmans  sin,  of  what- 
ever sort,  is  sin  only  when  discovered.  "  How 
could  it  be  sin  when  nobody  knew  anything 
about  it?"  Deceit  is  practiced  without  a  pang 
of  conscience  so  long  as  the  game  can  be  worked. 

The  missionary  is  kind-hearted,  supposed  to 
have  plenty  of  money,  like  other  "  Europeans," 
and  is  considered  legitimate  prey. 


IV 

CHIEF  RACES  OF  BURMA 

RELIABLE  history  of  Burma  dates  back 
only  to  the  early  part  of  the  eighteenth 
century,  Burmese  chronicles  claim  to 
cover  a  period  from  seven  to  eight  hundred 
years  before  the  Christian  era.  The  Burmese 
language  certainly  was  not  reduced  to  writing 
earlier  than  the  fifth  century  of  the  Christian  era. 
Early  history  is  founded  upon  legend.  Doubt- 
less many  of  the  events  recorded  actually  hap- 
pened, but  their  dates  are  hopelessly  mixed,  and 
events  themselves  distorted  by  exaggeration. 
Measured  by  their  records  of  the  Burmese-En- 
glish wars  of  the  nineteenth  century,  in  which 
every  reverse  was  written  down  as  a  great  victory, 
— all  of  the  history  prior  to  the  eighteenth  cen- 
tury is  utterly  untrustworthy.  Much  may  be 
learned  from  other  sources,  but  the  information 
is  at  best  fragmentary  and  conflicting.  In  1795, 
the  time  of  the  first  "  Embassy  to  Ava,"  histor- 
ical facts  dating  back  to  the  early  part  of  the 
century  were  gathered  and  verified.  From  that 
time  the  history  of  Burma,  compiled  by  Euro- 
peans, is  fairly  continuous  and  accurate.  In  giv- 
70 


Chief  Races  of  Burma  71 

ing  a  brief  sketch  of  the  chief  races  of  Burma, 
the  main  facts  of  history  will  appear.  The  chief 
races,  in  order  of  numbers,  are  the  Burmans, 
Shans,  Karens,  Talaings,  Chins,  and  Kachins. 
Taken  in  the  order  of  priority,  the  Talaings,  ac- 
cording to  the  theory  which  seems  to  me  to  have 
most  in  its  favour, — come  first  in  order.  This 
theory  is  that  they  were  the  first  of  all  the  many 
races  of  Burma  to  migrate  southward  from  Tibet, 
or  neighbouring  parts  of  Asia,  They  seem  to 
have  been  of  the  same  race  as  the  Burmans.  They 
still  retain  the  same  general  characteristics  and 
customs,  and  cannot  be  distinguished  from  the 
Burmans  where  the  two  races  mingle.  The  time 
of  this  migration  is  not  known,  but  it  may  safely 
be  placed  many  centuries  before  the  Christian 
era.  It  is  probable  that  they  gradually  drifted 
southward  until  they  reached  Burma.  The  Bur- 
mans, coming  from  the  same  general  source  long 
afterwards,  failed  to  recognize  the  Talaings  as 
having  any  kinship  to  themselves.  The  fact  that 
the  Talaing  language  is  utterly  unlike  the  Bur- 
mese, both  in  root  words,  and  in  construction  of 
sentences  indicates  that  the  two  races,  or  two 
sections  of  the  same  race,  as  the  case  may  be, — 
were  kept  quite  distinct  prior  to  the  migration  of 
the  Talaings.  The  Burmans,  who  held  the  Ta- 
laings in  contempt,  finally  became  indebted  to 
them  in  a  threefold  manner, — by  the  adoption  of 
the  Talaing  system  of  writing,  the  Buddhist  re- 


y2  Among  the  Burmans 

ligion,  and  the  sacred  books  in  which  it  was  re- 
corded. 

The  sacred  books  were  brought  to  Thatone 
from  Ceylon,  by  Buddhist  missionaries  not 
earUer  than  386  a.  d.  These  books  were  writ- 
ten in  Pah,  which  is  still  the  religious  language 
of  Buddhism.  The  Talaings  soon  reduced  their 
own  language  to  writing,  not  adopting  the  Pali 
characters,  but  drawing  chiefly  from  the  Tamil, 
with  a  change  from  the  square  to  the  round 
shaped  letters. 

It  is  well  known  that  there  was  a  colony  of 
Tamils  near  Thatone  at  that  early  date.  The  old 
theory  that  the  Talaings  descended  from  the 
Telugus,  and  that  their  original  home  was  in 
Talingana,  is  now  generally  discredited.  Little 
is  known  of  them  prior  to  the  Christian  era, 
scant  mention  of  them  being  found  in  Burmese 
chronicles,  and  having  none  of  their  own,  cover- 
ing their  early  history.  Whatever  chronicles 
they  may  have  had  were  destroyed  by  the  Bur- 
mese conquerors. 

The  Talaings  seem  to  have  been  in  control  in 
the  first  century,  a.  d.,  from  the  Gulf  of  Mar- 
taban  to  the  upper  Irawadi.  They  founded 
Pegu  in  the  sixth  century,  but  lost  it,  as  well  as 
Thatone  to  the  Burmans  in  the  eleventh  century. 
The  present  city  of  Pegu  was  founded  by  the 
Talaings  in  the  sixteenth  century,  and  they  have 
since  been  known  as  Peguans.     The  term   Ta- 


Chief  Races  of  Burma  73 

laing  is  said  to  have  been  applied  to  them  by 
the  Burmese  as  a  term  of  reproach,  the  word 
meaning  "  the  down-trodden."  They  call  them- 
selves Mo7is, — but  "  Takings  "  they  will  be,  so 
long  as  they  maintain  a  distinct  existence.  In 
1385  they  were  again  in  power  at  Pegu,  and  two 
years  later  at  Martaban.  In  1410  they  had  ex- 
tended their  sway  to  Arracan,  which  they  held 
until  1423.  The  Talaings  of  Pegu  and  Marta- 
ban were  conquered  by  the  Burmans  in  1551. 
But  in  1740  we  find  them  again  to  the  front. 
Taking  advantage  of  the  recklessness  of  the  Bur- 
man  king  the  Talaings,  in  alliance  with  a  colony 
of  Shans  living  near  Pegu,  seized  that  town,  and 
soon  afterwards  were  in  possession  of  Prome  and 
Toungoo.  In  1752,  aided,  it  is  said,  by  renegade 
Dutch  and  Portuguese,  and  with  firearms  pro- 
cured from  European  traders,  they  invaded  the 
upper  country,  capturing  and  burning  Ava,  the 
capital  of  the  Burman  kingdom.  Three  years 
later  Alaungpra  recaptured  Ava,  driving  the 
Talaings  southward,  and  in  1755  followed  with 
his  army  to  Rangoon,  destroying  the  Talaing 
power.  The  Burmans  having  regained  possession 
of  the  whole  country,  retained  control  until  they 
had  to  yield  to  the  greater  power  of  the  English. 
Descendants  of  the  Talaings  who  remained  in 
the  Pegu  district,  have  practically  lost  their 
identity,  readily  and  willingly  passing  as  Bur- 
mans.    The  main  body  retired  to  the  country 


74  Among  the  Burmans 

east  of  the  Gulf  of  Martaban.  In  consequence 
of  an  exodus,  probably  more  than  one, — of 
Talaings  into  Siam  after  unsuccessful  wars  with 
the  Burmans,  joining  the  many  already  in  that 
country,  there  are  now  more  Talaings  in  Siam 
than  in  Burma.  It  is  even  claimed  that  Siam  got 
her  code  of  laws  from  the  Talaings.  The  census 
of  1 90 1  gives  the  number  of  Talaings  in  Burma 
as  321,898.  The  number  will  increase  year  by 
year,  as  many  are  returning  to  Burma  from  Siam. 
Thousands  of  Talaings  scattered  through  the 
country  doubtless  returned  themselves  as  Bur- 
mans, without  so  much  as  recalling  that  their 
ancestors  were  Talaings.  Many  prophesy  that 
the  Taking  language  will  in  time,  die  out.  This 
may  be  true,  for  the  Burmanizing  process  is 
slowly,  steadily,  irresistibly  going  on.  Nearly 
half  of  the  Talaings  in  Burma  speak  Burmese, 
many  of  them  speaking  Burmese  only.  But 
this  still  leaves  a  large  body  beyond  the  reach  of 
Burmanizing  influences,  waiting  for  the  gospel 
in  their  own  tongue.  If  the  Talaings — as  a  race, 
are  to  be  evangelized  in  this  generation  or  the 
next,  the  gospel  must  be  given  to  them  in  their 
own  language. 

THE    BURMESE 

The  original  home  of  all  so-called  indigenous 
races  is  still  in  doubt.  The  bulk  of  evidence 
seems  to  be  in  favour  of  the  borders  of  Tibet  as 


Chief  Races  of  Burma  75 

the  original  home  of  the  race  known  as  Burmese. 
To  one  who  knows  the  characteristics  of  these 
people  it  is  difficult  to  conceive  of  such  a  migra- 
tion, except  under  compulsion.  In  the  census 
report  of  1901  we  find  them  described  as  fol- 
lows :  "  The  Burman  as  we  know  him,  is 
essentially  a  non-migrating,  unbusinesslike,  ir- 
responsible creature,  perfectly  incapable  of  sus- 
tained effort,  content  with  what  can  be  gained 
by  a  minimum  of  toil."  That  the  race  ever 
voluntarily  left  its  original  home,  whatever  the 
attraction,  seems  incredible.  The  Burman  him- 
self solves  the  mystery  by  claiming  celestial 
origin.  Brahmas  dwelling  in  the  celestial  regions 
came  down  to  dwell  on  earth.  At  first  they 
existed  as  semi-supernatural  beings,  living  above 
the  ordinary  appetites  and  passions  of  men.  By 
extending  their  diet  to  kinds  of  food  not  allowed 
to  such  beings  they  gradually  lost  their  super- 
natural attributes,  and  finally  became  like 
ordinary  mortals.  The  Burmans  proudly  claim 
lineal  descent  from  these  Brahmas.  Their 
argument,  quite  conclusive  to  themselves,  is 
based  on  the  similarity  between  Brahma  and 
Bam-ma,  as  they  call  themselves.  Philologists, 
with  cruel  disregard  for  the  feelings  of  these 
people,  have  utterly  spoiled  their  pretty  theory. 
Brahma  is  a  Hindoo  term,  introduced  long  after 
the  Burmese  migration.  So  now  there  is  noth- 
ing left  to  substantiate  their  cherished  belief, — 


y6  Among  the  Burmans 

except  the  national  habit  of  wanting  to  eat 
everything  they  see.  In  both  history  and  re- 
Hgion  legend  is  inextricably  mixed  with  facts  and 
fancies  imported  with  Buddhism.  Burman  tra- 
dition, backed  by  ancient  ruins  on  the  upper 
Irrawadi,  assert  that  Sakya  tribes  from  central 
northern  India,  migrating  by  way  of  Manipur, 
settled  in  Upper  Burma  a  few  centuries  before  the 
Christian  era.  It  is  difficult  to  account  for  such 
ruins  as  are  to  be  seen  at  Tagaung,  on  any  other 
theory.  These  ruins  can  hardly  be  the  remains 
of  work  accomplished  by  any  of  the  indigenous 
races  of  Burma,  in  their  barbarous  condition. 
The  claim  that  the  first  Burmese  monarchy  re- 
ceived its  stimulus  from  these  Indian  princes 
can  neither  be  proved  nor  disproved.  In  any 
event  whatever  remained  of  the  foreign  tribes 
was  assimilated  by  the  Mongoloid  peoples  who 
were  first  in  the  land. 

An  incursion  of  Shans  before  the  opening  of 
the  Christian  era,  themselves  forced  out  of  west- 
ern China,  seems  to  have  caused  the  downfall  of 
the  kingdom  of  the  Indian  tribes,  if  they  really 
had  one. 

Shans,  rather  than  Burmans,  then  became 
supreme  in  the  upper  Irrawadi  valley.  Not  until 
as  late  as  the  eleventh  century  did  the  Bur- 
mans regain  their  supremacy,  and  even  then 
the  Shans  continued  to  hold  the  country  north 
of  Bhamo.     In  the  Burman  war  of  conquest  in 


Chief  Races  of  Burma  77 

the  south  at  this  time,  the  main  object  was  to 
secure  the  Buddhist  Scriptures,  known  to  be  in 
possession  of  the  Talaings  at  Thatone.  These 
sacred  books,  obtainable  in  no  other  way,  were 
essential  to  the  king's  purpose  to  reform  the  im- 
perfect Buddhism  of  the  north.  There  is  some 
evidence  that  Buddhism  was  introduced  into 
Upper  Burma  from  India,  by  way  of  Manipur, 
several  centuries  before  it  was  brought  to  Lower 
Burma  from  Ceylon. 

It  is  evident  that  Upper  Burma  did  not  have 
the  Buddhist  sacred  books  prior  to  the  eleventh 
century.  Northern  Buddhism  was  only  super- 
added to  the  existing  rites  of  Naga,  and  spirit 
worship. 

In  the  south  the  sacred  books  had  already 
been  translated  from  Pali  into  Talaing,  but  not 
into  Burmese.  With  the  importation  of  the 
sacred  books  into  Upper  Burma,  and  their  trans- 
lation from  Talaing  into  Burmese,  the  real 
history  of  Buddhism  among  the  Burmese 
began. 

It  is  not  known  when  this  translation  was 
begun,  nor  when  the  Burmans,  by  adopting  the 
Talaing  system,  reduced  their  language  to  writ- 
ing. Some  of  the  later  translations  of  Pali 
writings  into  Burmese  direct,  were  made  about 
the  beginning  of  the  nineteenth  century. 

The  Burmese  "  Pagan  Monarchy,"  weakened 
by  bad  government  and  luxurious  living,  came 


yS  Among  the  Burmans 

to  an  untimely  end  in  the  thirteenth  century, 
through  an  invasion  of  the  Chinese.  The  Shans 
in  the  north  held  the  balance  of  power,  and  may- 
have  agreed  to  the  subordination  of  Burma  to 
China,  as  the  Chinese  have  always  claimed. 

In  the  fourteenth  century  a  new  king,  nomi- 
nally Burmese,  but  connected  with  the  Shans, — ■ 
came  into  full  power,  and  founded  Ava.  But 
early  in  the  fifteenth  century  (1426)  the  Bur- 
mans  lost  their  capital  and  all  the  territory  north 
of  Toungoo  and  Prome,  to  the  Shans.  The  new 
city  of  Toungoo,  built  about  this  time,  was  the 
seat  of  an  independent  prince.  Pegu  had  been 
ruled  by  kings  of  Shan  race  since  128 1.  In 
1538-9  the  Toungoo  Burman  prince,  Tabin 
Shwe'  Htee,  conquered  Pegu,  in  the  following  year 
Martaban,  and  after  being  proclaimed  king  in 
Pegu,  extended  his  sway  in  1542,  as  far  north  as 
Pagan.  Two  years  later,  with  an  allied  army  of 
Burmans,  Shans  and  Takings,  he  invaded  and 
conquered  Arracan,  but  not  Chittagong.  But 
his  success  as  king  at  Pegu  was  short-lived.  Ex- 
pensive but  fruitless  wars,  and  excessive  dissipa- 
tion turned  the  people  against  him.  He  soon 
became  the  victim  of  a  conspiracy  and  was 
treacherously  murdered.  In  155 1  the  Burmans 
were  again  victorious  at  Pegu,  pursuing  and  des- 
troying the  Talaing  king.  Three  years  later 
they  regained  Ava  from  the  Shans,  but  retained 
the  capital  at  Pegu.     Pressing  his  successes,  the 


CQi 


Chief  Races  of  Burma  79 

Burman  king,  in  1557,  conquered  the  Shans  in 
the  extreme  north  of  Burma,  and  a  little  later  at 
Thibaw,  Mone  and  "  Zimme "  ;  northern  Siam 
becoming  tributary  to  Burma.  Steps  were 
taken  to  make  the  then  non-Buddhist  Shans 
(many  were  doubtless  already  Buddhists),  con- 
form to  the  Buddhist  customs  of  the  Burmese, 
The  Burman  ruler,  Nawartha,  was  now  what  his 
ambition  craved, — the  "  King  of  Kings." 

But  before  the  end  of  the  century  Pegu  and 
all  the  territory  south  to  Tavoy  had  been  lost. 
Between  1600  and  161 3  a  Portuguese  adventurer 
named  Philip  de  Brito  reigned  as  king  of  Pegu, 
with  residence  at  his  own  fortified  city  of  Syriam. 
By  the  marriage  of  his  son  with  the  daughter  of 
the  king  of  Martaban,  the  cooperation  of  that 
section  was  secured.  In  161 2  De  Brito  and  the 
king  of  Martaban  marched  against  the  prince  of 
Toungoo,  who  had  broken  faith  with  De  Brito 
by  forming  an  alliance  with  Ava.  "  They  plun- 
dered the  city,  burned  the  palace  and  retired." 
This  high-handed  aggression  soon  reacted  on  his 
own  head. 

The  Burman  king  advanced  from  Ava  with  an 
immense  army,  laid  seige  to  Syriam,  and  starved 
the  garrison  to  surrender.  De  Brito,  who  had 
been  guilty  of  many  sacrilegious  acts,  destroying 
pagodas  and  other  sacred  objects  in  search  of 
plunder,  could  hope  for  no  mercy  at  the  hands 
of    his  captors.      The  leading  Portuguese  were 


8o  Among  the  Burmans 

slaughtered.  The  remainder,  including  the 
women,  were  carried  away  captive  to  Ava  as 
slaves.  Their  descendants  may  now  be  found 
throughout  Burma,  many  of  them  being  Roman 
Catholic  priests.  In  1634  Ava  was  made  the 
permanent  capital. 

An  immense  pagoda  was  built,  and  a  costly 
image  of  Guatama  cast  to  add  to  the  sacredness 
of  the  place,  and  to  the  merit  of  the  king. 

But  Burman  fortunes  were  uncertain.  Ava 
the  Great  was  taken  and  burned  by  the  Takings 
in  1752.  Not  long  were  the  Talaings  allowed 
to  hold  the  Burman  capital.  A  Burman  who 
took  the  name  of  Alaungpra,  with  wonderful 
vigour  and  ability  rallied  his  people.  Little 
more  than  a  year  had  passed  when  Alaungpra 
recaptured  Ava.  In  1755  he  took  his  armies 
southward,  conquering  as  he  went,  not  content 
until  he  reached  Dagon.  There  he  founded  a 
new  city,  which  he  designed  should  be  the  chief 
port  of  Burma,  and  named  it  Rangon  (or  Yan- 
gon),  the  word  meaning  the  war  ended. 

A  legend  says  that  Dagon  village  was  founded 
and  the  Shwe  Dagon  pagoda  built  in  586  b.  c, 
which  is  probably  within  a  few  centuries  of  the 
true  date.  The  village  was  rebuilt  by  the  Taking 
king  of  Pegu  about  744  a.  d.  The  great  pagoda, 
upon  which  an  expensive  htee  or  umbrella  had 
been  placed  in  1540,  was  still  further  improved, 
"  to  rival  the  one  at  Pegu."     (The  present  htee 


Chief  Races  of  Burma  8l 

was  placed  on  the  Shwe  Dagon  pagoda  in  1871, 
by  Mindon  Min.)  But  the  Taking  capital  of 
Lower  Burma,  Pegu,  had  not  yet  been  taken. 
We  have  seen  that  in  161 3  Syriam  was  destroyed 
by  the  Burmans  because  of  De  Brito's  aggres- 
sions. 

Now,  in  1755,  both  British  and  French  traders 
were  established  there.  During  the  struggles  be- 
tween the  Burmans  and  Talaings,  the  Europeans 
hardly  knew  which  should  have  their  favour  and 
help.  Everything  depended  on  being  on  the  side 
which  should  prove  victorious. 

Alaungpra,  after  securing  Rangoon,  returned 
to  Ava.  This  was  interpreted  as  a  sign  of  weak- 
ness, and  thereafter  the  Europeans  openly  showed 
their  sympathy  with  the  Talaings.  When  the 
Talaings  attacked  the  Burmese,  they  were  as- 
sisted by  the  ships  of  both  British  and  French. 

But  alas,  Alaungpra  returned  early  in  the  fol- 
lowing year.  After  a  blockade  of  several  months 
Syriam  was  taken  and  destroyed,  including  the 
European  factories.  The  principal  Europeans, 
after  being  held  a  short  time  as  prisoners,  were 
put  to  death.  The  downfall  of  Pegu  soon  fol- 
lowed, marking  the  end  of  Talaing  supremacy. 

Six  years  later,  1762,  Sagaing  became  the 
capital  of  the  Burmese  Empire.  Passing  over 
the  wars  with  Siam,  Manipur,  and  China,  we 
find  the  capital  changed,  in  1783,  to  Amarapura, 
a  new  city  built  for  the  purpose.     The  following 


82  Among  the  Burmans 

year  Arracan  was  invaded  and  conquered.  The 
most  valued  booty  was  an  immense  brass  image 
of  Gautama,  cast  in  the  second  century,  said  to 
possess  miraculous  powers.  This  image,  taken 
over  the  mountains,  a  wonderful  feat,  was  placed 
in  a  building  erected  for  the  purpose,  on  the 
north  side  of  Amarapura,  the  new  capital,  where 
it  may  now  be  seen  by  visitors  to  the  "  Arracan 
Pagoda." 

In  1795  the  first  envoy  to  the  king  of  Burma 
was  sent  by  the  government  of  India.  The  en- 
voy was  not  well  received,  and  secured  no  per- 
manent advantage.  The  following  year  another 
was  deputed  to  be  resident  at  Rangoon,  instead 
of  Ava.  He  met  with  the  same  discourteous 
treatment,  and  accomplished  nothing.  Up  to 
1 81 2  five  successive  attempts  were  made  to  ar- 
rive at  an  understanding  with  the  Burman  king, 
with  reference  to  political  and  commercial  rela- 
tions, but  without  success.  Envoys  were  either 
ignored  or  made  the  bearers  of  insolent  replies. 
At  this  time  war  between  England  and  the 
United  States  was  about  to  begin.  Adoniram 
Judson  was  getting  ready  to  sail  as  a  foreign 
missionary. 

In  1823  the  capital  was  restored  to  Ava.  A 
great  fire  at  Amarapura  destroying  some  of  the 
royal  buildings,  together  with  certain  "bad 
signs,"  induced  the  king  to  abandon  the  city 
which  had  been  in  existence  only  forty  years. 


Chief  Races  of  Burma  83 

During  the  previous  year  the  Burmans  had  over- 
run Manipur  and  parts  of  Assam,  and  claimed 
the  territory  as  a  part  of  the  Burman  Empire. 
The  first  battle  ever  fought  between  the  Burmese 
and  English  was  at  Cachar — in  January,  1824. 
The  Burmans  were  defeated.  In  1824-5  the 
British  and  native  troops  succeeded  in  driving 
the  Burmans  back  into  their  own  country.  The 
bulk  of  the  Burmese  army  had  already  been  re- 
called to  repel  the  British  who  were  advancing 
from  the  south,  war  having  been  formerly  de- 
clared in  March,  1824.  In  the  meantime  the 
American  missionaries,  Judson  and  Price,  together 
with  all  Europeans  at  Ava  were  imprisoned  as 
suspected  spies,  or  in  league  with  the  enemy. 

After  eleven  months  they  were  transferred  to 
Aungbinle,  with  the  intention  to  put  them  to 
death.     The  first  Burmese  war  lasted  two  years. 

Arracan,  and  all  the  country  east  of  the  Gulf 
of  Martaban  was  ceded  to  the  British.  Ran- 
goon reverted  to  the  Burmese.  But  the  most 
interesting  result  to  American  readers,  was  the 
release  of  the  missionaries,  Judson  and  Price,  who 
were  utilized  as  messengers  to  negotiate  the 
terms  of  surrender.  After  the  second  install- 
ment of  indemnity  had  been  paid,  and  the  British 
troops  withdrawn  to  territory  ceded  by  the  hu- 
miliated king  the  following  record  of  the  affair 
was  added  to  the  royal  chronicles.  "  In  the  years 
1 1 86,  1 1 87  (Burmese)  the  white  strangers  of  the 


84  Among  the  Burmans 

west  fastened  a  quarrel  upon  the  Lord  of  the 
Golden  Palace. 

"  They  landed  at  Rangoon,  took  that  place  and 
Prome,  and  were  permitted  to  advance  as  far  as 
Yandabu,  for  the  king,  from  motives  of  piety  and 
regard  to  life,  made  no  preparation  whatever  to 
oppose  them.  The  strangers  had  spent  vast 
sums  of  money  in  their  enterprise,  so  that  by  the 
time  they  reached  Yandabu  their  resources  were 
exhausted,  and  they  were  in  great  distress. 
They  then  petitioned  the  king,  who,  in  his  clem- 
ency and  generosity,  sent  them  large  sums  of 
money  to  pay  their  expenses  back,  and  ordered 
them  out  of  the  country."  The  record  modestly 
omitted  to  mention  the  fact  that  the  strangers  had 
permission  to  take  with  them  the  Arracan,  Ye, 
Tavoy,  Mergui,  and  Tenasserim  provinces  ! 

The  whole  period  from  1826  to  the  second 
Burmese-English  war,  in  1852,  was  marked  by 
heartless  cruelties  inflicted  by  successive  Burman 
kings  upon  all  real  or  suspected  offenders ;  by 
persistent  repudiation  of  the  terms  agreed  upon 
at  the  close  of  the  first  war ;  and  by  gross  insults 
to  British  representatives.  The  second  Burmese- 
English  war  lasted  a  year  and  a  half,  and  resulted 
in  the  annexation  of  the  Province  of  Pegu,  which 
included  Rangoon  and  extended  to  a  point  about 
thirty  miles  north  of  Toungoo.  In  about  1837 
the  capital  was  again  transferred  to  Amarapura, 
where  it  remained  until  Mandalay  was  founded, 


Chief  Races  of  Burma  85 

in  i860,  by  Mindon  Min.  A  new  king,  Mindon 
Min,  was  soon  proclaimed  at  Amarapura. 
Throughout  his  reign,  from  1853  to  1878,  rela- 
tions between  the  British  and  Burmese  were 
greatly  improved.  Mindon  Min  was  the  best 
king  Burma  ever  had.  Moreover,  the  loss  of 
Arracan,  Tenasserim,  and  Pegu  had  inspired 
some  degree  of  respect  for  representatives  of  the 
British  Indian  Government.  With  the  death  of 
Mindon,  and  the  ascension  of  Thibaw,  trouble 
began.  The  great  massacre,  in  which  about 
seventy  of  royal  blood,  including  women  and 
children,  were  ruthlessly  butchered,  called  forth  a 
vigorous  remonstrance  from  the  British  Govern- 
ment. An  insolent  reply  was  returned,  rejecting 
outside  interference. 

In  August  1879  the  resident  at  Mandalay  was 
withdrawn.  Massacres  soon  followed,  rivalling 
the  horrors  of  the  past.  At  this  time  many 
thousands  of  Burmese  migrated  to  Lower  Burma 
to  escape  oppression. 

Thibaw  then  began  a  flirtation  with  France. 
The  Bombay  Burma  Trading  Company  was 
accused  of  defrauding  the  king  in  the  matter  of 
royalty  on  teak  logs.  An  enormous  fine  was  in- 
flicted. Arbitration  was  rejected.  The  French 
were  conspiring  with  the  king  to  gain  commer- 
cial advantages,  giving  them  practically  full  con- 
trol of  Upper  Burma,  including  the  only  route  to 
western  China.     In  June,  1885,  the  government 


86  Among  the  Burmans 

of  India  obtained  conclusive  evidence  as  to  the 
nature  of  these  negotiations.  A  demand  was 
made  that  a  British  resident  be  received  at  Man- 
dalay,  and  that  Thibaw  reveal  his  foreign  policy. 
This  ultimatum  was  refused.  The  British  imme- 
diately advanced  on  the  capital.  On  the  28th  of 
November,  1 885,  Mandalay  was  taken,  and  King 
Thibaw  made  a  prisoner.  The  great,  self-suffi- 
cient Burman  kingdom  had  fallen  to  rise  no  more. 

French  diplomatists  had  outreached  them- 
selves, and  precipitated  the  annexation  of  Upper 
Burma. 

On  the  first  of  January,  1886,  the  following 
proclamation  was  issued :  "  By  command  of  the 
Queen-Empress  it  is  hereby  notified  that  the  ter- 
ritories formerly  governed  by  King  Thibaw  will 
no  longer  be  under  his  rule,  but  have  become  a 
part  of  Her  Majesty's  dominions,  and  will  during 
Her  Majesty's  pleasure,  be  administered  by  such 
officers  as  the  viceroy  and  government  of  India 
may  from  time  to  time  appoint." 

It  will  be  seen  that  the  Burmese  throughout 
their  history  have  been  a  warlike  people.  The 
adoption  of  Buddhism,  as  the  national  religion, 
with  its  strict  rules  concerning  the  taking  of  life, 
does  not  seem  to  have  wrought  any  change  in 
this  respect.  The  grossest  cruelties  were  prac- 
ticed, suspected  conspirators  slaughtered  by  hun- 
dreds, generals  who  had  failed  in  battle,  as  well 
as  others  of  high  rank  or  noble  blood  were  exe- 


Chief  Races  of  Burma  87 

cuted,  sewed  up  in  red  sacks,  and  sunk  in  the 
Irrawadi  River.  Sometimes  the  prehminary  ex- 
ecution was  dispensed  with. 

Victorious  kings  built  great  pagodas,  at  the 
expense  of  the  people,  to  expiate  their  sins  of 
bloodshed, — and  then  renewed  the  carnage. 

The  cruelties  inflicted  upon  Judson  and  his 
companions  at  Ava  and  Aungbinle  ;  the  history 
of  Burman  dacoity  since  the  English  occupation  ; 
together  with  many  other  evidences, — stamp  the 
Burman  as  far  from  being  the  tolerant,  peace- 
loving,  Hfe-reverencing  character  that  many  of 
his  admirers,  on  the  interest  of  Buddhism,  or 
Theosophy,  have  pictured.  It  is  said  that  a  pro- 
fessor in  a  certain  theological  seminary,  seeking 
to  cast  discredit  on  the  historical  authenticity  of 
the  Book  of  Daniel,  called  the  attention  of  his 
class  to  the  unlikelihood  that  any  Oriental  mon- 
arch would  have  issed  such  decrees  as  are  at- 
tributed to  Nebuchadnezzar,  in  the  third  chapter. 
To  say  nothing  of  Mohammedan  fanaticism, 
familiarity  with  Oriental  character  as  exhibited 
by  Burman  kings  would  have  dispelled  the  pro- 
fessor's doubts. 

When  Naungdawgyi  had  completed  the  great 
Shwe  Dagon  pagoda,  in  comparison  with  which 
Nebuchadnezzar's  image  was  Liliputian,  he  made 
a  decree  that  all  peoples  must  fall  down  and  wor- 
ship it,  on  penalty  of  death.  The  majority  of 
the  people  being  spirit-worshippers,  the  decree 


88  Among  the  Burmans 

could  not  be  enforced.  To  let  himself  down 
easily,  the  king  commanded  that  a  nat-siii,  or 
spirit-house  be  erected  near  the  pagoda.  The 
people  coming  to  make  offerings  to  the  nats — 
would  also  be  coming  to  the  pagoda,  and  so  the 
decree  would  be  obeyed,  and,  in  time,  its  pur- 
pose effected.  The  character  of  the  Burman  king 
Bodaw-para,  who  was  on  the  throne  when  Judson 
came  to  Burma,  is  thus  described  by  Father  San- 
Germano,  who  lived  in  Burma  twenty  years 
during  this  king's  reign.  "  His  very  countenance 
is  the  index  of  a  mind  ferocious  and  inhuman  in 
the  highest  degree, — and  it  would  not  be  an  ex- 
aggeration to  assert  that  during  his  reign  more 
victims  have  fallen  by  the  hand  of  the  executioner 
than  by  the  sword  of  the  common  enemy.    .    .    . 

"  The  good  fortune  that  has  attended  him 
.  .  .  has  inspired  him  with  the  idea  that  he 
is  something  more  than  mortal,  and  that  this 
privilege  has  been  granted  him  on  account  of  his 
numerous  good  works     .     .     . 

"  A  few  years  since  he  thought  to  make  him- 
self a  god."  He  did  in  fact,  proclaim  himself  as 
the  fulfillment  of  the  national  expectation  of  a 
fifth  Buddha.  Priests  who  refused  to  recognize 
his  claims,  were  punished.  Who  can  doubt  that 
the  late  King  Thibaw  would  have  been  quite 
capable  of  repeating  Nebuchadnezzar's  decree, 
had  he  thought  of  it,  and  seen  any  advantage  in 
it,  to  himself. 


Chief  Races  of  Burma  89 

The  census  of  1901  gives  the  total  population 
of  the  province  as  10,490,624.  Of  this  total  the 
Burmese  number  6,508,682,  while  the  number 
returning  the  Burmese  language  as  their  ordinary 
tongue  was  7,006,495,  The  total  number  of 
Buddhists,  including  the  Shans  and  Takings,  is 
9,184,121.  The  area  of  the  province  is  286,738 
square  miles.  To  the  casual  visitor  the  country 
seems  to  be  peopled  almost  exclusively  by  Bur- 
mese, and  Buddhism  the  only  form  of  worship, 
the  other  races  inhabiting  isolated  parts  of  the 
country,  far  removed  from  the  main  lines  of 
travel.  The  population  of  Rangoon  is  about 
235,000.  Buddhists  and  Hindus  number  about 
the  same,  with  more  than  half  as  many  Musal- 
mans  as  of  either.  Fifty  per  cent,  of  the  popu- 
lation are  immigrants.  Rangoon  is  no  longer  a 
Burman  city. 

In  Mandalay,  their  last  capital,  and  second  city 
of  Burma,  the  situation  is  quite  different.  In  a 
total  of  178,000  over  152,000  are  Buddhists. 
This  city  has  been  in  existence  only  sixty-three 
years.  Its  outward  appearance  is  much  the  same 
as  it  was  when  taken  by  the  British  in  1885. 
The  same  brick  wall,  twenty-six  feet  high,  with  its 
crenelated  top,  a  mile  and  a  quarter  on  each  side 
of  the  square,  forming  an  impregnable  ( ! )  barrier 
against  all  comers, — still  surrounds  what  was  the 
royal  town.  On  each  side  are  three  gates, 
reached  by  bridges  across  the  wide  moat,  which 


90  Among  the  Bur  mans 

is  kept  filled  with  water  by  a  connection  with  a 
natural  lake  a  few  miles  to  the  northeast. 

Inside  of  the  walled  town  comparatively  little 
now  remains  as  it  was  when  captured.  The 
natives  occupying  thatched  houses,  were  com- 
pelled to  move  outside  the  wall,  taking  their 
shanties  with  them.  For  this  they  were 
amply  compensated  by  the  British  Indian  Gov- 
ernment. A  large  city,  regularly  laid  out  with 
straight  wide  streets,  was  already  flourishing  out- 
side of  the  walled  section.  Within  the  walls  the 
palace  and  monasteries  still  remain,  the  former 
now  being  restored  by  the  provincial  govern- 
ment, at  great  expense.  Services  of  the  Church 
of  England  are  held  in  one  of  the  large  halls. 
In  one  of  the  buildings  near  the  palace  the 
Mandalay  Club  is  comfortably  established. 
Several  old  cannon,  used  by  the  Burmese  in 
their  wars,  more  for  the  noise  they  could  make 
than  for  any  death-dealing  powers  they  possessed, 
now  adorn  the  grounds.  The  king's  monastery, 
and  the  queen's  monastery,  are  objects  of  inter- 
est. Near  the  former  is  the  site  of  the 
"  Incomparable "  temple,  destroyed  by  fire  in 
1892.  This  immense  structure,  with  its  gilded 
columns  and  lofty  ceiling,  was  the  grandest 
building  in  the  city.  Near  by  is  a  huge  pagoda 
within  a  high  rectangular  wall.  The  space  en- 
closed is  subdivided  into  three  compartments  by 
low    walls    extending    around    the   pagoda,   to 


Chief  Races  of  Burma  91 

represent  the  threefold  division  of  the  Buddhist 
scriptures.  These  spaces  contain  seven  hundred 
and  twenty  shrines  about  fifteen  feet  high,  their 
tops  supported  by  four  columns.  In  the  centre 
of  each  shrine,  set  like  a  gravestone  in  the 
cement  floor,  is  a  stone  tablet  about  three  feet 
wide  by  five  and  a  half  feet  high,  covered  on 
both  sides  with  portions  of  the  sacred  writings. 
The  floor  around  each  tablet  is  polished  by  the 
bare  feet  of  many  devotees, — for  the  "  Law"  is 
one  of  the  "  three  precious  things "  of  Bud- 
dhism— commanding  their  worship.  For  all  this 
immense  outlay  of  time  and  money  devoted  to 
sacred  objects  Mindon  Min  is  supposed  to  have 
secured  the  royal  merit,  freeing  him  from  the 
countless  existences  through  which  the  ordinary 
mortal  must  pass.  The  prevailing  impression 
that  as  a  result  of  the  monastic  school  system  all 
of  the  Burmese  males  can  read  and  write,  is  not 
corroborated  by  the  recent  census.  A  little  less 
than  half  (490  in  each  i  ,000)  are  able  to  both  read 
and  write.  Doubtless  a  large  majority  spent 
enough  of  their  childhood  in  the  monastery  to 
acquire  these  accomplishments,  but,  to  many, 
they  have  become  lost  arts,  through  disuse. 
Only  fifty-five  in  each  thousand  of  Burmese 
women  can  read  and  write.  Girls  are  not  ad- 
mitted to  monastic  schools.  This  small  gain  is 
chiefly  due  to  mission  schools.  The  demand  for 
female    education    is    rapidly    increasing.     All 


92  Among  the  Burmans 

Burmans,  except  the  relatively  small  number  of 
converts  to  Christianity,  are  Buddhists.  Nearly 
all  are  worshippers  of  idols. 

A  sect  called  Paramats  was  founded  at  the  be- 
ginning of  last  century.  The  Paramats  will  have 
nothing  to  do  with  pagodas  and  idols.  They  re- 
spect the  ordinary  Buddhist  priests,  as  represent- 
atives of  Gautama,  who  was  the  incarnation  of 
eternal  wisdom.  They  do  not  hold  that  eternal 
wisdom  is  reincarnated  in  the  priests,  and  there- 
fore do  not  worship  them  as  orthodox  Buddhists 
do.  This  eternal  wisdom,  which  existed  before 
the  world  was  made,  and  will  exist  throughout 
eternity,  fills  all  space,  but  exercises  no  influence 
over  this  world.  Eternal  wisdom  is  not,  except 
in  a  very  vague  sense,  personified — as  an  equiv- 
alent of  the  Christian  conception  of  an  eternal 
God.  But  the  Paramats  have  the  germ  of  a  true 
belief,  and,  as  a  rule,  are  thinking  men,  which  is 
more  than  can  be  said  of  the  ordinary  Buddhist. 
Numerous  in  the  district  midway  between  Man- 
dalay,  and  Rangoon,  they  furnish  a  hopeful  field 
for  missionary  effort. 

THE   SHANS 

The  Shans  rank  second  in  point  of  numbers. 
Max  MuUer  held  that  the  Shans  were  the  first  to 
leave  their  original  home  in  western  China. 
Contact  with  the  Chinese  has  left  its  mark  upon 
them,  sufficient,  apart  from  other  evidence,  to 


Chief  Races  of  Burma  93 

prove  their  origin.  Having  been  forced  out  of 
western  China  they  drifted  southward,  and 
founded  some  of  the  large  towns  in  the  territory 
now  known  as  "  Shan-land  "  as  early  as  400,  or 
500  B.  c. — if  their  own  chronicles  can  be  be- 
lieved. But  at  this  point  different  conclusions 
have  been  reached  from  the  same  sources  of  in- 
formation, some  accepting  these  dates  as  ap- 
proximately correct,  others  rejecting  them  as  too 
remote  by  several  centuries.  Indeed,  it  is  difficult 
to  determine  whether  the  first  migration  was 
southward,  or  to  the  southwest,  or  whether  there 
were  two  migrations  simultaneously.  As  we 
have  seen  in  our  study  of  the  Burmese,  the 
Shans  were  supreme  on  the  Upper  Irrawadi 
early  in  the  Christian  era,  having  expelled  the 
Burmese  and  taken  possession  of  that  part  of  the 
country.  It  may  have  been  as  early  as  400  or 
500  B.  c,  when  they  overthrew  the  Tagaung 
monarchy.  My  own  view  is  that  the  Shans  first 
migrated  to  the  southwest  across  the  Namkham 
valley,  founding  the  "  Maw  Kingdom,"  which 
finally  extended  to  the  Irrawadi  and  Chindwin 
rivers  in  northern  Burma.  And  that  not  until 
several  centuries  later  did  they  extend  their  sway 
to  the  southeast,  founding  Thibaw,  Mone,  and 
other  towns. 

That  there  is  a  discrepancy  of  ten  centuries  or 
more  between  this  view  and  the  Shan  Chronicles, 
in  which  the  most  striking  feature  is  exaggeration. 


94  Among  the  Burmans 

need  not  disturb  any  one.  In  fact,  a  sound 
"  principle  of  interpretation  "  of  legendary  history, 
whether  Burmese  or  Shan,  is  to  cut  down  its 
figures  by  about  one  half. 

Near  the  end  of  the  tenth  century  the  Shans 
occupied  Arracan  about  eighteen  years.  The 
Shan  kingdom  continued  until  overcome  by  the 
Burmese,  in  the  middle  of  the  eleventh  century. 
They  still  remained  in  power  in  the  far  north. 
In  1 28 1  Shans  from  Siam  joining  with  Shans  of 
Martaban,  conquered  Martaban,  then  with  assist- 
ance of  Shans  from  the  north  they  captured  Pegu 
from  the  Burmans.  At  the  beginning  of  the 
fourteenth  century  the  Shans  were  again  in  the 
ascendant  in  Upper  Burma,  the  Burmans  having 
been  weakened  by  Chinese  invasions.  The 
Shans  now  ruled  the  country  from  the  upper 
reaches  of  the  Irrawadi  as  far  south  as  Prome, 
but  not  including  Toungoo.  All  Burma  was 
threatened  with  Shan  supremacy.  This  might 
have  been  realized  but  for  the  Shan  emperor's 
own  recklessness  and  tyranny,  working  his  own 
downfall. 

Kings  of  Shan  race  controlled  Pegu  from  1281 
until  conquered  by  the  Toungoo  Burman  prince, 
Tabin  Shwe'  Htee,  in  1 5  39.  The  Shan  power  in 
the  north  having  become  weakened,  the  Bur- 
mese in  1554,  captured  Ava,  and  in  1557  con- 
quered the  Shans  throughout  the  Upper  Irra- 
wadi region.     Thibaw,  Mone,  and  "  Zimme  "  in 


Chief  Races  of  Burma  95 

northern  Siam,  fell  to  the  Burmans  a  year  later. 
The  Shans  seem  to  have  remained  subject  to  the 
Burman  kings  until  the  annexation  of  Upper 
Burma ;  and  sometimes  assisted  the  Burmans  in 
their  wars  with  the  Talaings  and  Siamese. 

The  census  of  1901  gives  a  total  of  751,759 
Shan-speaking  people. 

Besides  the  northern  and  southern  Shan 
States,  a  large  number  of  Shans  are  still  found  in 
Upper  Burma,  and  many  Shan  villages  through- 
out Lower  Burma.  It  is  not  definitely  known 
when  the  Shans  adopted  Buddhism.  There  are 
evidences  that  the  Shans,  who  were  supreme 
on  the  Upper  Irrawadi  at  the  opening  of  the 
Christian  era,  and  for  several  centuries  after,  were 
influenced  by  Buddhism  introduced  from  India 
by  way  of  Manipur,  and  that  many  accepted  it. 
After  the  introduction  of  Buddhism  from  the 
south  it  spread  rapidly  among  the  Burmese,  and 
through  them  to  the  Shans,  becoming  the 
national  religion  of  both  races. 

It  is  said  that  many  Shan  Buddhist  priests 
sought  reordination  according  to  the  rules  of  the 
southern  type  of  Buddhism. 

The  Shans  established  monasteries  throughout 
their  country.  Under  the  later  Burman  kings, 
Burman  priests  were  sent  to  propagate  Bud- 
dhism in  the  Shan  country.  In  some  places  the 
sacred  books  were  destroyed,  and  other  books 
written    in   the    Burmese   language  substituted, 


96  Among  the  Burmans 

Burmese  becoming  the  language  of  the  Monastic 
schools  for  Shan  boys, 

Burman  kings  adopted  the  same  tactics  in  deal- 
ing with  the  Talaings. 

The  customs  of  the  Shans  and  the  Burmese 
are  much  the  same,  but  their  costume  is  more  like 
that  of  the  Chinese.  The  same  is  true  of  the 
Karen  costume.  Though  differing  from  the  cos- 
tume of  the  Shan,  both  seem  to  have  been  de- 
rived from  their  contact  with  the  Chinese  before 
their  migration  to  Burma.  The  broad  lopped- 
rim  Shan  hat  and  flowing  trousers  with  the  seat 
between  the  knees  differentiate  the  Shan  from 
other  races.  They  have  a  written  language, 
adopted  from  the  Burmese, — some  four  or  five 
hundred  years  ago, — as  the  Burmese  had 
adopted  theirs  from  the  Talaing. 

THE  KARENS 

TJie  Karens  found  their  way  in  Burma  from 
western  China  ;  forced  southward  by  the  Chinese. 
Then  when  the  Shans  were  in  like  manner  driven 
into  Burma,  the  Karens  were  pushed  on  still 
further  south,  like  driftwood  before  the  tide. 
Their  original  home  is  uncertain.  It  seems  evi- 
dent that  at  a  much  earlier  period  they  had 
migrated  into  western  China  from  some  place 
still  further  north.  One  of  their  own  traditions 
is  that  their  ancestors,  in  their  wanderings, 
crossed  a  "  river  of  sand." 


Chief  Races  of  Burma  97 

The  desert  of  Gobi  best  answers  to  their 
tradition.  Other  traditions  point  to  western 
China  as  their  early  home.  It  is  not  unlikely  that 
the  tradition  of  the  "  river  of  sand  "  is  much  the 
older,  and  these  traditions  taken  together  mark 
the  progress  of  the  Karens  in  at  least  two  widely 
separated  migrations  southward.  The  Karens 
strongly  resemble  certain  hill-tribes  now  living  in 
western  China  ;  in  fact  some  of  the  Karens  have 
identically  the  same  customs,  as  these  China  hill- 
tribes,  who  are  also  said  to  have  the  tradition  of  a 
"  river  of  sand." 

There  are  three  main  divisions  of  the  Karens, 
known  as  Pwo,  Sgaw,  and  Karennee  or  "  Red 
Karens."  This  threefold  division  antedates 
their  migration  to  Burma.  The  Pwos,  some- 
times called  "  the  mother  race,"  are  supposed  to 
have  been  the  first  arrivals,  working  their  way 
south  by  the  way  of  the  valleys  of  the  Salwen 
and  Mekong  Rivers  ;  followed  by  the  Sgaws,  and 
finally  by  the  Karennees,  though  it  is  doubtful 
whether  there  was  any  interval  between  these  main 
divisions  in  the  general  migration.  But  in  some 
way  they  have — to  this  day — maintained  the  dis- 
tinction. It  is  probable  that  for  a  time  the 
Karens  held  the  territory  now  known  as  the 
eastern  Shan  states,  and  all  the  upper  Salwen 
region.  The  coming  of  the  Shans,  whether  from 
the  north  or  west,  drove  them  southward,  each  of 
these  tribal  divisions  advancing  under  compulsion 


98  Among  the  Burmans 

in  the  same  order  in  which  they  first  entered  the 
country. 

The  Pwos  are  now  found  in  the  delta  and  still 
farther  south  in  the  Maulmain  district ;  the 
Karennees  farther  north,  bordering  on  the  Shan 
country,  and  east  to  the  Siam  border  ;  the  Sgaws 
keeping  to  the  central  territory,  in  the  Toungoo 
district  and  diagonally  across  to  Bassein,  sharing 
parts  of  the  delta  with  the  Pwos.  A  large  body 
of  Sgaw  Karens,  as  well  as  many  Pwos,  are  found 
in  the  Tavoy  district,  farthest  south  of  all.  The 
Tavoy  Karens  drifted  in  from  Siam,  not  extend- 
ing to  the  seacoast  until  early  in  the  last  century. 

There  is  now  a  continuous  chain  of  Karens 
from  Tavoy  far  into  the  north  of  Siam.  In  gen- 
eral, the  Karens  live  in  the  highlands,  the  Bur- 
mans  occupying  the  plains.  Formerly  this  was 
partly  from  choice,  but  unavoidable  whether  from 
choice  or  not,  on  account  of  the  cruel  oppression 
suffered  at  the  hands  of  the  more  powerful  Bur- 
mans.  But  under  British  rule  many  Karens  have 
come  down  to  the  plains,  and  forming  villages  of 
their  own,  have  engaged  in  cultivation.  They 
still  like  to  be  within  easy  reach  of  the  moun- 
tains, to  which  they  resort  for  game  and  other 
food. 

In  the  shady  ravines  they  have  profitable  gar- 
dens of  betel  (areca)  palms,  the  nut  being  es- 
sential to  any  native's  happiness,  and  command- 
ing a  ready  sale.     Some  writers  have  advanced 


Chief  Races  of  Burma  99 

the  theory  that  the  religious  traditions  of  the 
Karens  were  derived  from  their  supposed  contact 
with  Nestorian  Jews  in  western  China.  This 
can  hardly  be  true — as  it  places  the  migration 
of  the  Karens  to  Burma  at  much  too  late  a  date. 

The  Nestorians  did  not  begin  their  work  in 
western  China  until  505  a.  d.,  closing  it  in  1368, 
when  they  were  expelled  by  the  Mongols. 

It  seems  certain  that  the  Karens  were  already 
in  Burma  long  before  the  Nestorian  missionaries 
went  to  China.  (Marco  Polo's  Roman  Catholic 
mission-work  in  western  China  did  not  begin 
until  1 27 1.) 

If  it  is  true  that  the  large  towns  in  Shan-land 
were  founded  by  the  Shans  four  or  five  hundred 
years  before  the  Christian  era,  the  migration  of 
the  Karens  must  be  placed  at  an  even  earlier 
period, — but  that  early  date  is  doubtful.  The 
non-Christian  Karens  are,  and  always  have  been 
spirit-worshippers.  This  so-called  worship  is  lim- 
ited to  propitiatory  sacrifice.  In  this  respect 
they  are  at  one  with  all  the  races  of  Burma,  not 
excepting  the  Burman  Buddhists,  though  the  lat- 
ter have  abandoned  bloody  sacrifice.  Before  the 
adoption  of  Buddhism  the  Burmans,  Shans  and 
Talaings  were  spirit-worshippers  pure  and  simple. 
Spirit-worshippers  they  still  are,  with  the  forms 
of  Buddhism  for  a  veneering. 

But  the  Karens  have  many  religious  traditions, 
so  closely  following  the  Bible  accounts  of  the 


lOO  Among  the  Burmans 

creation,  fall,  flood,  and  other  events  as  to  furnish 
strong  evidence  that  in  bygone  ages  their  ances- 
tors somewhere  were  in  touch  with  the  people  of 
God.  In  spite  of  their  spirit-worship  they  have  re- 
tained a  belief  in  a  Supreme  Being,  and  long  looked 
forward  to  the  time  when  God's  Word,  which  they 
had  lost,  should  be  restored  to  them.  God  was 
believed  to  be  a  benevolent  Being,  but  so  far 
away  that  he  had  nothing  to  do  with  men.  All 
spirits  were  believed  to  be  evil,  vengeful  and  near 
at  hand.  Therefore  the  Supreme  Being  was  left 
out  of  their  worship,  and  sacrifices  offered  to 
propitiate  evil  spirits  who  might  work  harm  to 
them,  by  causing  sickness,  destruction  of  crops, 
and  many  other  possible  misfortunes.  The 
Karens  contend  that  in  making  offerings  to  the 
evil  spirits  they  were  not  showing  disloyalty  to 
the  Supreme  Being.  They  illustrate  their  posi- 
tion by  the  following  story :  "  Some  children  left 
in  a  place  of  supposed  safety  by  their  parents, 
were  so  frightened  by  the  approach  of  a  tiger 
that  they  threw  down  the  cliff  some  pigs  that  had 
taken  refuge  with  them.  Their  eyes,  however, 
were  not  fixed  on  the  tiger,  but  on  the  path  by 
which  they  expected  their  father  to  come.  Their 
hands  fed  the  W^^x  from  fear,  but  their  ears  were 
eagerly  listening  for  the  twang  of  their  father's 
bowstring,  which  should  send  the  arrow  quiver- 
ing into  the  tiger's  heart."  "  And  so,  although 
we  have  to  make  sacrifices  to  demons,  our  hearts 


Chief  Races  of  Burma  loi 

are  still  true  to  God.  We  must  throw  sops  to 
the  demons  who  afflict  us,  but  our  hearts  were 
looking  for  God." 

The  history  of  the  Karens  in  Burma  has  been 
a  sad  one.  For  centuries  they  had  been  griev- 
ously oppressed  by  the  Burmans,  who  robbed 
them,  carried  away  captives  into  slavery,  and 
kept  the  Karens  pent  up  in  the  most  inaccessible 
parts  of  the  mountain  ranges. 

Under  British  rule  the  Karens  are  safe  from 
serious  molestation,  but  the  old  feeling  still  re- 
mains, and  they  hold  aloof  from  the  Burman  as 
much  as  possible.  The  coming  of  the  Christian 
missionary,  restoring  to  them  the  knowledge  of 
the  true  God  so  vaguely  known  through  their 
traditions,  was  the  great  event  to  which  the  whole 
Karen  nation  had  so  long  looked  forward.  Mul- 
titudes readily  accepted  Christianity.  By  its 
power  they  were  emancipated  from  the  domina- 
tion of  evil  spirits  ;  the  swords  and  spears  of  tribal 
feuds  were  forged  into  pruning  hooks  ;  and  the 
whole  Christian  world  rejoiced  in  the  glorious 
spectacle  of  "  A  nation  in  a  day."  The  census 
of  1901  gives  a  total  of  nearly  714,000  Karens, 
of  all  tribes.  Many  more  are  found  in  Siam.  It 
has  been  asserted  that  "  more  languages  are 
spoken  in  Assam  than  in  any  other  country  in 
the  world."  The  same  may  be  said  of  Burma. 
The  recent  census  recognized  fifty-seven  indig- 
enous races  or  tribes,  and  as  many  more  non- 


102  Among  the  Burmans 

indigenous.  In  the  Toungoo  district  the  mis- 
sionaries meet  with  several  Karen  dialects  not 
mentioned  in  the  census  enumeration,  but  so 
distinct  that  one  tribe  does  not  understand  the 
dialect  of  another. 

In  some  localities  one  meets  with  a  new  dialect 
in  each  village  through  which  he  passes  in  a 
day's  journey.  Ye  shades  of  Shinar  !  confusion 
of  tongues, — twice  confounded.  It  seems  in- 
credible that  so  many  families  of  one  race,  occu- 
pying the  same  territory,  and  with  practically  the 
same  habits,  customs,  and  superstitions, — should 
each  perpetuate  for  centuries  its  own  peculiar 
dialect  and  clannish  exclusiveness.  The  mis- 
sionary or  official,  to  do  effective  work  among 
such  a  people,  needs  a  small  army  of  interpreters 
at  his  heels. 

THE    KACHINS 

The  Kachins  inhabit  the  extreme  northern  part 
of  Burma,  extending  as  far  south  as  the  Bhamo 
and  Namkham  districts,  and  east  into  China. 
The  Kachins  are  own  cousins  to  the  Nagas  of 
the  adjacent  hill  tract  of  Assam,  who  call  them- 
selves "  Singpho."  "  Kachin  "  is  a  name  applied 
to  these  people  by  the  Burmans.  The  Kachins 
of  Burma  call  themselves  "  Chingpaw."  This 
quite  suits  their  kinsmen  of  Assam,  who  look 
down  upon  the  Chingpaws  as  unworthy  the 
grand  name  of  Singpho.     Both  terms  seem  to 


Chief  Races  of  Burma  103 

mean  "  men," — but  me7i  in  distinction  from  the 
inferior  races  around  them.  The  census  of  1901 
gives  a  total  of  65,510  Kachins  in  Burma  alone. 
The  early  missionaries  held  that  the  Kachins  and 
Karens  were  of  the  same  origin ;  that  the  Kachins 
were  really  Karens,  from  whom  the  southern 
Karens  had  become  separated.  This  view 
seemed  substantiated  by  the  people  themselves  ; 
by  some  of  their  customs, — such  as  the  manner 
in  which  their  houses  are  constructed  and  par- 
titioned off;  by  a  certain  similarity  of  language 
— many  common  nouns  said  to  be  common  to 
both  languages,  and  by  their  spirit-worship.  It 
is  now  generally  admitted  that  the  Kachins  and 
Karens  are  not  of  the  same  origin.  In  bygone 
ages  they  may  have  been  neighbours,  if  not 
more  closely  related, — in  the  borders  of  Tartary, 
— but  at  a  very  remote  period.  Certainly  they 
did  not  migrate  to  Burma  at  the  same  time,  nor 
by  the  same  route.  The  Kachins  have  traditions 
that  they  migrated  to  Burma  by  way  of  the  head- 
waters of  the  Irrawadi, — that  their  primal  an- 
cestor hved  at  "  Majoi  Shingra  Pum."  In  his 
"  Handbook  of  the  Kachin  Language,"  H.  F. 
Hertz  says  :  "  I  have  succeeded  in  obtaining  the 
views  of  several  old  men,  Tumsas  and  Faiwas, 
who  might  be  described  as  Kachin  priests.  It 
would  seem  from  these  that '  Majoi  Shingra  Pum  ' 
is  a  high  table-land  with  very  few  trees,  frequently 
covered  with  snow,  and  very  cold. 


104  Among  the  Burmans 

"  Now,  the  name  '  Majoi  Shingra  Pum,'  liter- 
ally translated  is  a  naturally  flat  mountain,  or  in 
other  words,  a  plateau,  and  it  does  not  need  any 
stretch  of  the  imagination  to  identify  it  with 
some  part  of  eastern  Tibet.  Colonel  Hannay, 
writing  in  1847,  describes  tribes  residing  in  the 
inaccessible  regions  bordering  on  Tartary  as 
closely  allied  to  the  Kachins."  This  identifies 
the  Kachins  more  closely  with  the  Burmans  and 
Chins  than  with  the  Karens.  Moreover  it  is  said 
that  the  Kachin  language  has  more  points  in 
common  with  the  Burmese  than  with  the  Karen. 
This  is  especially  true  of  the  Marus, — a  tribe  to 
the  eastward,  allied  to  the  Kachins  of  Burma. 
It  is  not  difficult  to  believe  that  all  these  races,  in 
the  very  remote  past,  were  neighbours  in  the 
borders  of  Tibet,  and  that  while  the  Kachins  and 
Burmese  migrated  south  direct,  the  Karens  mi- 
grating by  way  of  western  China, — the  meeting 
of  these  races  on  Burmese  soil  reveals  a  few  of 
the  many  things  they  once  had  in  common. 

After  the  Burmans  and  Chins  had  migrated  to 
Burma,  the  Shans,  pressing  westward  by  way  of 
the  Namkham  valley,  blocked  the  way  of  further 
migrations  from  the  north.  The  Shans  are 
known  to  have  been  supreme  in  northern  Burma 
at  the  beginning  of  the  Christian  era.  It  is 
probable  that  they  peopled  the  Upper  Irrawadi 
several  centuries  earlier.  In  the  thirteenth  cen- 
tury the  Shans  overran  Assam.     Not  until  the 


Chief  Races  of  Burma  105 

middle  of  the  sixteenth  century  were  they  finally 
overcome  by  the  Burmans.  Nothing  is  known 
of  the  Kachins  in  Burma  earlier  than  the  six- 
teenth century.  They  seem  to  be  comparatively 
recent  arrivals,  working  their  way  into  Burma 
after  the  Shans  had  been  weakened  by  their 
struggles  with  the  Burmans.  The  Singphos  of 
Assam  are  said  to  have  drifted  into  that  country 
but  a  little  more  than  a  century  ago. 

The  Kachins  have  gradually  forced  the  Pa- 
laungs  and  Shans  before  them,  or  isolating  some 
of  their  villages  from  the  main  body.  Their  sud- 
den development  of  power  is  remarkable.  Polit- 
ical changes  consequent  on  the  annexation  of 
Upper  Burma  checked  Kachin  aggressions. 
They  are  still  spreading,  but  by  fairly  peaceable 
means.  The  Namkham  district,  supposedly 
Shan,  is  found  to  contain  fully  as  many  Kachins 
as  Shans,  Slowly  but  surely  the  Shans  will  be 
pressed  southward.  Before  passing  under  con- 
trol of  the  British  the  various  tribes  of  Kachins 
were  ever  at  war  among  themselves.  Captives 
were  sold  into  slavery.  Retaliatory  raids  were 
constantly  expected.  Feuds  are  still  kept  up, 
though  they  do  not  have  the  free  hand  to  exe- 
cute vengeance  enjoyed  in  former  years. 

The  Kachin,  from  habit,  is  watchful  and  sus- 
picious of  strangers, — until  his  confidence  is 
gained.  Their  villages  are  usually  high  up  in 
the  hills,  as  secluded  and  inaccessible  as  possible. 


lo6  Among  the  Burmans 

But  the  isolated  situation  of  the  village  probably 
is  due  to  the  fear  of  nats,  spirits, — quite  as  much 
as  from  fear  of  human  enemies.  One  writer  de- 
scribes an  avenue  leading  to  the  village,  with 
bamboo  posts  at  regular  intervals,  with  rattan 
ropes,  a  la  clothes-line,  from  which  various  em- 
blems are  suspended.  Near  the  village  "  wooden 
knives,  axes,  spears,  and  swords  are  fastened  to 
the  tree-trunks.  All  this  display  is  for  the  bene- 
fit of  the  nats.  Like  the  Chinese,  they  do  not 
give  their  demons  credit  for  much  acuteness. 
For  one  thing  they  believe  that  they  can  only 
move  in  a  straight  line.  Therefore  the  nats 
avoid  going  about  in  the  jungle,  and  keep  to  the 
open  paths.  A  few  judicious  turns  are  made  in 
the  avenue,  so  as  to  turn  the  prowling  devils 
off,  if  possible,  but  if  he  should  happen  to  be 
cannoned  off  the  tree  stems  in  the  right  direction, 
there  are  the  emblems  to  show  him  where  the 
thing  he  is  in  search  of  may  be  found.  If  he  is 
hungry  there  is  the  bullock's  skull  nailed  to  a 
tree,  to  indicate  where  food  may  be  found ;  if  he 
is  thirsty  a  joint  of  bamboo  points  out  where  a 
libation  of  rice  spirit  has  been  made."  These 
spirit-worshippers  are  more  easily  gained  than 
the  Buddhist  Burmans  and  Shans,  but  they  have 
not  the  traditions  of  the  Karens  to  prejudice 
them  in  favour  of  Christianity.  Morally,  they 
rank  very  low, — and  yet  their  morality  must  be 
viewed  in  the  light  of  Kachin,  rather  than  English 


Chief  Races  of  Burma  107 

custom.  As  with  the  non-Christian  Karens, 
there  are  certain  unwritten  tribal  laws  governing 
family  life.  Should  a  Kachin  presume  to  poach 
on  his  neighbour's  preserves,  there  would  be  one 
less  Kachin  the  next  day. 

Courtship,  when  once  the  parties  have  come  to 
an  understanding,  is  conducted  as  a  "  probation- 
ary marriage."  They  may  separate  before  the 
marriage  ceremony  takes  place,  if  they  weary  of 
each  other.  But  if  they  have  already  started  a 
colony,  marriage  must  follow,  or  the  man  "  has 
to  kill  a  bullock  and  pigs — to  appease  the  nats 
of  the  damsel's  house.  In  addition  he  has  to  pay 
a  fine  to  the  parents,  of  a  spear,  a  gong,  a  da, 
and  some  pieces  of  cloth,  and  sometimes  a  bul- 
lock or  buffalo."  The  old  man  is  more  exacting 
than  the  nats.  Such  separations  do  not  effect 
the  social  standing  of  either  party.  It  is  claimed 
that  separations  or  disloyalty  after  marriage  "  are 
practically  unknown." 

It  certainly  would  not  be  healthy  to  have  it 
known.  The  Kachins  have  their  own  distinctive 
costume,  varying  according  to  tribe  and  locality. 
But  Kachin  men  in  touch  with  Chinese,  Shans,  or 
Burmans,  usually  adopt  the  costume  of  their  neigh- 
bours.    The  women  hold  to  their  own  costume. 

The  religion  of  the  Kachins,  though  gross 
spirit-worship,  contains  an  element  of  truth  not 
found  in  the  Buddhism  of  the  more  civilized 
Burmans.    Rev.  Mr.  Geis,  missionary  at  Myitky- 


lo8  Among  the  Burmans 

ina  says — "  Above  and  beyond  all  nats  to  whom 
Kachins  offer  sacrifices  at  one  time  or  another, 
they  recognize  the  existence  of  one  great  spirit 
called  Karai  Kasang.  Altars  in  his  honour  are 
not  found  in  Kachin  villages  or  houses.  No 
priest  has  been  able  to  divine  what  offerings  are 
to  be  made  to  it,  but  in  time  of  great  danger  nats 
and  their  offerings  are  forgotten,  and  their  cry 
goes  out  to  Karai  Kasang  for  help  and  succour." 

THE    CHINS 

The  Chins,  who  number  about  180,000,  are 
thought  to  be  of  the  same  origin  as  the  Bur- 
mese,— from  the  neighbourhood  of  Tibet.  It  is 
evident  that  they  became  separated  from  kindred 
tribes  at  a  very  remote  period. 

The  Lushais  of  Assam,  and  Bengal,  and  the 
Kukis  of  Manipur  have  the  same  race-character- 
istics, and  probably  formed  part  of  the  original 
migration  southward.  At  present  the  Chins,  oc- 
cupying the  hill  country  in  the  northwest  corner 
of  Burma,  are  slowly  pressing  northward,  affect- 
ing Manipur.  The  Chins  of  the  hill-country  are 
quite  isolated  from  other  races.  For  this  reason 
Buddhism  has  never  reached  them.  Like  their 
kinsmen,  the  Kachins,  they  are  spirit- worship- 
pers, as  were  their  other  kinsmen,  the  Burmese, 
before  the  introduction  of  Buddhism.  The  Chins 
are  divided  into  several  tribes.  The  northern 
Chins    call   themselves  "  Yo,"  the   Tashons   call 


Chief  Races  of  Burma  109 

themselves  "  KaKa  "  ;  the  middle  tribes  give  their 
names  as  "  Lai  "  ;  the  southern  Chins  call  them- 
selves "  Shu."  Since  the  annexation  of  Upper 
Burma,  securing  immunity  from  oppression  by 
the  Burmans  many  Chins  have  drifted  down  from 
their  own  hill-country  and  formed  agricultural 
villages  in  the  plains.  The  Chin  country  is  about 
250  miles  long  by  from  lOO  to  150  miles  wide. 
It  is  wholly  mountainous,  the  highest  peaks  be- 
ing from  5,000  to  9,000  feet.  Liklang  peak,  the 
highest  of  all,  is  nearly  10,000  feet.  Like  all 
spirit-worshippers,  the  Chins  dread  the  power  of 
demons,  and  offer  to  them  the  same  left-handed 
sort  of  worship.  But  their  worst  enemy  is  of 
their  own  manufacture,  made  by  fermenting  rice, 
millet,  or  corn,  and  called  "  Zu."  The  great  and 
wide-spread  vice  among  the  Chins  is  drunken- 
ness. Men,  women,  children,  even  babes  in 
arms — all  drink  and  glory  in  intoxication  as  an 
accomplishment  of  which  to  be  proud.  No  act 
is  considered  a  crime  if  committed  when  drunk. 
Many  people  I  have  seen  in  European  and 
American  cities  must  have  been  Chins.  No 
function  is  complete  without  liquor.  Hospitality 
is  guaged  by  the  number  of  cups  of  spirit  dealt 
out,  and  appreciation  of  it — by  the  number  of 
cups  consumed.  Again,  how  like  many  of  their 
white  cousins.  "  A  man  should  drink,  fight,  and 
hunt,  and  the  portion  for  women  and  slaves  is 
work  " — is  both  creed  and  practice.     They  have  a 


no  Among  the  Burmans 

peculiar  custom,  now  dying  out,  of  tattooing  the 
faces  of  the  women,  until  the  whole  face,  from 
chin  to  hair — is  dyed  a  purplish  black.  The 
reason  for  this  custom  is  in  dispute.  Some  have 
asserted  that  it  was  to  make  them  unattractive 
to  their  enemies,  especially  the  Burmans,  who 
frequently  raided  their  villages  in  the  foot-hills. 
Others  claim  that  the  tattooing  was  in  order  to 
increase  their  attractiveness  to  the  young  men  of 
their  own  kind.  Fortunate  indeed  were  they  if 
this  queer  custom  served  the  double  purpose  of 
repelling  enemies  and  attracting  friends.  To  un- 
accustomed eyes  the  tattooed  face  is  hideous  in 
the  extreme. 

The  first  attempt  by  the  British  to  control  any 
part  of  the  Chin  Hills  was  made  in  1859,  but  was 
neither  continuous  nor  effective.  In  1871-  an 
expedition  was  sent  into  the  hills  to  recover  cap- 
tives, and  punish  offenders.  The  Chins  remained 
quiet  for  ten  years,  then  broke  out  again  in 
repeated  raids,  from  1882  to  1888.  The  English 
were  obliged  to  undertake  a  systematic  subjuga- 
tion of  the  whole  Chin  country.  This  was 
effected  in  1889-90.  The  expedition  met  with 
stubborn  resistance,  by  guerilla  methods.  Many 
villages  were  burned  by  the  English,  as  the  only 
means  of  subduing  the  wily  enemy.  Many 
villages  were  burned  by  the  Chins  themselves. 
Near  one  village  "  a  dog  had  been  killed  and 
disemboweled,  and  tied  by  its  four  legs  and  thus 


Chief  Races  of  Burma  1 1 1 

stretched  on  a  rope  suspended  between  two 
sticks  across  the  path  to  the  village,  its  entrails 
being  likewise  suspended  between  two  other 
sticks,  thus  barring  the  road.  Asking  the  Chins 
what  this  might  mean,  they  said  it  was  an  offer- 
ing to  the  war  7iat  to  protect  their  village,  and 
to  ward  off  our  bullets  from  injuring  them." 
The  work  of  subjugation  had  to  be  continued  for 
some  years,  before  the  Chins  were  made  to 
realize  that  the  English  government  must  be 
respected.  The  Hakas  and  others  were  dis- 
armed in  1895.  The  Chin  Hills  are  administered 
by  a  political  officer  at  Falam,  with  a  European 
assistant  at  other  important  points,  as  Tiddim  and 
Haka.  The  morals  of  these  benighted  Chins, 
still  further  degraded  by  their  drink  habit,  are 
what  might  be  expected.  Marriages  are  gov- 
erned by  the  working-value  of  the  bride,  parents 
expecting  compensation  for  the  loss  of  her  serv- 
ices, according  to  her  capacity  for  work,  and 
"  expectation  of  life."  This  seems  to  have  been 
the  custom  among  all  races  of  Burma.  It  is  said 
that  when  a  Chin  wife  is  asked  "  Where  is  your 
husband  ?  "  she  will  give  the  required  information 
in  case  he  is  living, — but  if  dead  she  will  reply, 
"  He  is  not  here,"  and  expects  the  subject  to  be 
dropped  at  that.  This  reminds  me  of  a  Shan 
girl's  answer  when  I  asked  her  the  whereabouts 
of  a  former  resident — "  I  don't  know, — he  is 
dead."     The  Chins  of  the  foothills  and  plains 


1 1 2  Among  the  Burmans 

present  an  encouraging  field  for  missionary  work, 
but  missionary  work  must  be  pushed  with  all 
possible  vigour — to  forestall  the  influences  of  Bud- 
dhism. To  win  them  from  spirit-worship  is  hard 
enough,  to  win  them  from  Buddhism  will  be  very 
much  harder. 

The  dialect  of  the  southern  Chins  has  been 
reduced  to  writing,  and  is  found  to  be  strikingly 
similar  to  the  Burmese,  perhaps  half  of  the  words 
being  more  or  less  allied  to  the  Burmese.  As 
the  southern  Chins  have  great  difficulty  in  under- 
standing the  speech  of  the  wild  tribes  in  the 
northern  hills,  it  is  quite  probable  that  their  own 
dialect  has  been  corrupted  by  contact  with  the 
Burmans  since  their  migration  to  Burma.  The 
Chin  dialect  of  the  south  is  also  said  to  contain 
many  words  of  Shan  origin.  This  must  have 
come  about  in  the  same  way,  either  by  contact 
with  Shans  on  the  Upper  Chindwin  at  a  very 
early  period,  or  when  the  Shans  occupied  Ar- 
racan  about  eighteen  years,  towards  the  end  of 
the  tenth  century.  This  later  contact  seems 
much  too  short  to  have  left  a  permanent  mark  on 
the  southern  Chin  dialect.  The  total  number  of 
Animists — demon-worshippers — in  Burma,  Chin, 
Kachin,  Karen,  and  other,  is  about  four  hundred 
thousand.  But  as  we  have  seen,  the  Buddhist 
Burmans,  Shans  and  Takings,  are  at  core, 
demon-worshippers,  all  races  having  in  common 
practically  the  same  superstitions. 


V 

BUDDHISM  AS  IT  IS 

MUCH  has  been  written  on  Buddhism, 
besides  the  translation  of  the  Buddhist's 
sacred  books.  Little,  however,  can  be 
learned  from  books  of  Buddhism  as  one  finds  it 
expressed  in  the  life  of  the  people. 

Riding  one  day  with  a  missionary  who  had  a 
wide  acquaintance  with  the  Burmans  and  their 
language,  I  asked  him  certain  questions  as  to 
their  real  belief.  His  reply  was,  "  No  man  can 
tell,  until  he  finds  a  way  to  get  into  the  Burman 
mind."  The  first  business  of  the  missionary 
seemed  to  be  then  to  make  every  effort  to  get 
into  the  Burman  mind  ;  to  study  him  ;  study  his 
religious  habits  ;  ascertain  if  possible,  his  point  of 
view ;  learn  to  see  things  from  his  point  of  view ; 
to  know  what  there  is  in  him  that  must  be  eradi- 
cated and  supplanted  by  the  gospel  of  Jesus 
Christ.  We  see  the  country  fairly  alive ; — no, 
dead  with  idols.  We  see  the  people  kneeling 
before  these  idols,  and,  to  every  appearance  pray- 
ing. Are  they  praying?  How  can  they  be 
praying,  inasmuch  as  Buddhism  knows  no  God, 
— does  not  claim  to  have  a  God  ?  Gautama  him- 
"3 


1 14  Among  the  Burmans 

self  whom  all  these  images  represent,  never 
claimed  to  have  any  power  to  save  others,  or  even 
to  save  himself.  These  worshippers  know  that 
he  was  only  a  man,  that  at  the  age  of  eighty 
years  he  died,  that  his  death  was  due  to  an 
attack  of  indigestion  (from  eating  too  much  fresh 
pork),  as  any  other  man  might  die.  It  is  sup- 
posed that  he  was  born  near  Benares,  about  six 
hundred  years  before  Christ ;  that  his  father  was 
a  chief  of  an  Aryan  tribe  called  the  Sakyas. 
From  the  sacred  books  they  learn  that  Gautama's 
early  hfe  was  spent  in  dissolute  pleasure  and 
luxury  common  to  oriental  princes ;  that  after  a 
time  becoming  dissatisfied  with  his  own  manner 
of  life  and  the  corrupt  conditions  around  him,  he 
yielded  to  another  his  princely  prospects,  aban- 
doned his  wife  and  child  and  gave  himself  up  to  a 
Hfe  of  meditation  and  study  under  religious 
teachers ;  that  failing  in  this  to  gain  the  longed- 
for  peace  of  soul  he  for  several  years  led  a  life  of 
the  most  severe  privation  and  affliction  of  the 
flesh,  until  by  long  continued  meditation  and 
self-concentration  the  light  broke  in  upon  him, 
and  he  became  "  the  enlightened  one," — a 
Buddha.  Did  he  not  by  this  enlightenment  be- 
come something  more  than  man  ?  Not  at  all. 
He  had  learned  nothing  of  God,  not  even  that 
such  a  being  existed.  He  entertained  no  thought 
that  he  himself  had  acquired  any  supernatural 
character  or  power.     And  so  he  died.     Even  the 


Buddhism  As  It  Is  115 

common  people  of  the  jungle  villages  know  all 
this,  and  yet  they  prostrate  themselves  before 
these  images  of  brass,  wood,  or  stone.  Are  they 
praying?  Perchance  their  hopes  are  based  on 
what  Gautama  became,  after  death.  According 
to  Buddhism,  Gautama  had  now  passed  through 
all  the  necessary  conditions  and  changes,  and 
entered  at  once  upon  the  final  state,  the  highest 
goal  of  Buddhism,  Nirvana,  ("  Neikban,"  in  Bur- 
mese). 

Had  he  now  become  a  God?  Not  at  all. 
No  Buddhist  entertains  such  a  thought.  What 
then  is  Neikban  ?  '•  It  means,"  they  say,  "  the 
going  out,  like  the  flame  of  a  candle."  By  a 
long-continued  process  of  self-concentration 
Gautama  is  supposed  to  have  become  absolutely 
oblivious  to  the  world  around  him,  and  ultimately 
to  have  become  unconscious  even  of  self.  His 
death  is  believed  to  have  been  utter  extinction 
of  both  physical  and  spiritual  existence.  Some 
deny  that  Neikban  is  equivalent  to  annihilation. 
The  best  that  can  be  claimed  for  it  is  an  impos- 
sible existence  in  which  there  is  neither  sensation 
nor  conscious  Hfe. 

Fittingly  they  describe  it  as  "  a  flame  which 
has  been  blown  out." 

According  to  Buddhist  teachings  and  current 
belief  Gautama  has  disappeared,  body  and  soul. 
Brahmins  may  talk  of  being  absorbed  in  the 
"  One  Supreme  Soul,"  and  Theosophists  glibly 


Ii6  Among  the  Burmans 

repeat  the  form  of  words,  but  Buddhists  claim 
nothing  of  the  sort.  There  is  no  Supreme  Soul 
to  absorb  them,  and  no  human  souls  to  be 
absorbed.  It  is  not  soul,  or  life  that  is  perpetu- 
ated, but  desire,  merely.  Neikban,  they  declare, 
is  the  cessation  of  everything,  a  condition  of  un- 
consciousness, lifeless  ease,  they  do  not  Hke  to 
say  annihilation.  Then  what  are  these  worship- 
pers doing  here  on  their  knees  before  images 
which  represent  no  existing  being?  surely  not 
praying,  for  they  have  "  no  hope,  without  God 
in  the  world  "  ;  no  being  higher  than  themselves 
to  whom  prayer  could  be  addressed  ;  no  expecta- 
tion of  blessing  of  any  sort  from  any  super- 
natural source;  absolutely  nothing  in  their 
religious  conceptions  or  experience  correspond- 
ing to  the  communion  between  the  Christian  and 
his  God. 

There  is  no  such  thing  as  real  prayer  in  the 
whole  Buddhist  system.  What,  then,  are  they 
doing?  Here  comes  in  the  system  of  "  merit  " 
on  which  Buddhism  is  built.  An  instinctive 
sense  of  guilt  and  impending  penalty  is  universal. 
Having  no  Saviour — man  must  save  himself. 

From  what  ?  Not  from  sin,  as  violation  of 
the  laws  of  a  Holy  Being,  but  from  their  train 
of  evil  consequences  to  himself. 

The  chief  tenets  of  Buddhism  are  :  (i)  Misery 
is  the  inevitable  consequence  of  existence.  (2) 
Misery  has  its  source  in  desire.     (3)  Misery  can 


Buddhism  As  It  Is  117 

be   escaped   only  by  the   extinction   of  desire. 

(4)  Desire  can  be  extinguished  only  by  becom- 
ing wholly  unconscious  of  the  world  and  of  self. 

(5)  He  who  attains  to  such  unconsciousness  at- 
tains to  Neikban.  (6)  Evil  actions  constitute 
demerit.     Good  actions  constitute  merit. 

In  this  deeply  grounded  belief  as  to  merit  and 
demerit  lies  the  secret  of  much  that  we  see  in 
the  life  of  the  people.  Now  we  know  what  these 
people  are  doing, — they  are  seeking  to  accumu- 
late merit  by  repeating  over  and  over  again  a 
certain  formula,  or  portions  of  their  "  Law " 
with  their  faces  towards  the, — to  them, — sacred 
pagoda  or  idol. 

But  no  Buddhist  expects  to  attain  to  Neikban 
at  the  end  of  this  existence.  He  realizes  that  it 
is  utterly  hopeless  for  him  to  think  of  fulfilling 
the  conditions.  But  he  cherishes  the  groundless 
hope  that  in  some  future  existence  under  more 
favourable  conditions  he  may  be  able  to  accumu- 
late sufficient  merit,  though  he  cannot  now. 
This  belief  presupposes  the  doctrine  of  trans- 
migration, or  metempsychosis. 

The  Buddhist  believes  that  he  has  passed 
through  countless  existences  in  the  past, — 
whether  as  man,  animal,  or  insect,  or  all  many 
times  over,  he  knows  not ;  finally,  birth  into  this 
world  as  man.  He  dies  only  to  be  reborn  into 
this  or  another  world, — whether  as  man,  animal, 
or  insect  he  knows  not ;  then  death  again,  and 


1 18  Among  the  Burmans 

so  through  countless  ages.  Even  Gautama  him- 
self is  said  to  have  passed  through  five  hundred 
and  fifty  different  phases  of  existence,  including 
long  ages  in  hell,  before  he  finally  entered  this 
world  as  man,  and  became  a  Buddha. 

Although  Buddhism  has  no  God,  and  no 
heaven,  it  has  a  very  vivid  conception  of  hell, 
yes, — eight  of  them,  surrounded  by  over  forty 
thousand  lesser  hells, — their  terrors  limited  only 
by  the  limitations  of  the  imagination.  But  no 
man  can  escape — the  doctrine  of  Karma  settles 
that.  A  man's  own  words  and  deeds  pursue  him 
relentlessly,  and  there  is  no  city  of  refuge  to 
which  he  may  flee.  "  Not  in  the  heavens,  not 
in  the  midst  of  the  sea,  not  if  thou  hidest  thy- 
self in  the  clefts  of  the  mountains,  will  thou  find 
a  place  where  thou  mayest  escape  the  force  of  thy 
own  evil  actions."  So  say  their  scriptures,  and 
so  every  Buddhist  believes.  Hell  is  the  inevita- 
ble penalty  of  many  deeds  or  accidents,  such  as 
the  killing  of  the  smallest  insect  under  foot. 
Between  the  Buddhist  and  his  hopeless  hope  of 
Neikban  yawns  this  awful  gulf  of  existences  and 
sufferings. 

"  Whatsoever  a  man  soweth,  that  shall  he  also 
reap,"  gives  the  gist  of  Buddhism.  He  is  now 
reaping  from  past  existences  ;  he  will  reap  in  the 
next  from  his  deeds  in  this.  In  the  past  each 
succeeding  existence  depended  upon  the  last 
previous  existence.     In  hke  manner,  what   the 


Buddhism  As  It  Is  119 

next  existence  shall  be  depends  wholly  upon  the 
deeds  of  this  life. 

So  the  countless  series  of  transmigrations  may 
be,  theoretically,  in  the  ascending  or  descending 
scale.  But  when  the  awful  penalties  assigned  to 
innumerable  and  unavoidable  violations  of  the 
Buddhist  law  are  taken  into  consideration  all 
hope  of  future  existences  in  the  ascending  scale 
vanishes.  The  poor  fisherman,  beginning  at  the 
very  bottom  of  the  lowest  of  the  four  chief  hells 
must  spend  countless  ages  in  each,  before  he  can 
hope  to  be  reborn  as  man. 

The  man  who  unwittingly  puts  his  foot  on  the 
smallest  insect  and  crushes  out  its  life  must  atone 
for  the  deed  by  spending  a  long  period  in  tor- 
ment. Taking  the  life  of  any  living  thing,  even 
to  the  killing  of  poisonous  snakes,  is  held  to  be 
the  worst  of  all  sins.  The  priests,  to  avoid  the 
possibility  of  destroying  insect  hfe,  use  a  brass 
strainer  finely  perforated,  to  cleanse  their  drink- 
ing water,  in  blissful  ignorance  of  the  microbe 
theory.  A  native  preacher  once  asked  me  to 
get  him  a  microscope  so  that  he  might  prove  to 
the  priests  that  notwithstanding  their  precautions 
they  were  drinking  to  themselves  perdition. 

His  motive  may  have  been  in  part,  to  con- 
vince them  as  to  the  futility  of  their  hope,  and 
in  part  to  get  even  with  them  for  their  harsh 
criticisms  of  "  animal-killing  Christians." 

A  story  told  by  one  of  our  native  preachers 


120  Among  the  Burmans 

vividly  illustrates  this  dread  of  future  punishment. 
"  I  had  been  preaching  for  about  two  hours  to  a 
large  company  in  a  jungle-village.  During  all 
this  time  an  old  woman  was  sitting  on  a  log  near 
by,  counting  off  her  beads,  and  devoutly  mur- 
muring to  herself  the  customary  formula, 'A/i- 
nas-sa,  Dok-ka,  Ah-nat-ta  ;  Pay  a,  Taya,  TJiinga, 
— Radana  Thon-da' — '  Transitoriness,  Misery,  Il- 
lusions ;  Lord,  Law,  Priest, — the  three  Jewels.' 
When  I  had  finished  I  approached  her  saying : 
'  Why  do  you  worship  so  devoutly  ?  '  *  To  es- 
cape the  penalty  of  hell,'  she  sadly  replied.  *  So 
you  fear  the  future, — what  is  your  notion  of 
hell  ? '  '  Oh,  it  is  a  terrible  place.  They  say  it 
is  shaped  like  a  great  cauldron,  and  full  of  burn- 
ing oil  in  which  people  suffer  endlessly  and  are 
not  consumed.  And  when  they  try  to  escape,  the 
evil  beings  of  the  place  thrust  them  back  with 
sharp  forks  and  spears.  Oh,  it  is  a  terrible 
place ! '  she  repeated,  fairly  trembling  as  she 
described  its  horrors.  *  Yes,'  I  said.  *  You 
seem  to  understand  it  very  well.  Now  what  are 
you  doing  to  escape  such  an  awful  fate?'  '  Oh, 
many,  many  years  I  have  worshipped  before  the 
pagodas  and  idols ;  every  day  I  count  my  beads 
over  and  over,  repeating  the  formula,  as  Gautama 
directed.  Do  you  think  that  after  all  I  have 
done  I  must  still  go  to  hell  ? '  ♦  Yes,'  I  said. 
'  If  that  is  all  you  have  done,  you  surely  must.' 
*  Oh,  then,  tell  me,'  she  said  in  great  distress, 


Buddhism  As  It  Is  121 

'  what  can  I  do  to  escape,  for  I  greatly  fear  the 
terrors  of  that  place.'  Then  sitting  there  on 
the  log,  with  this  poor  old  woman  on  the  ground 
before  me,  I  told  the  blessed  gospel  story  over 
again,  as  Jesus  Christ  did  with  the  woman  of 
Samaria.  And  then  I  said :  '  You  must  repent 
of  your  sins,  and  confess  them  to  the  eternal 
God.  You  must  believe  and  trust  the  Lord 
Jesus  Christ,  who  died  to  save  you.  If  you  do 
this  He  will  forgive  your  sins,  and  save  you.' 
Her  wrinkled  face  brightened  with  hope  as  she 
exclaimed,  '  If  I  do  as  you  have  said,  and  be- 
heve  on  Jesus  Christ,  will  He  save  me  ? '  *  Yes, 
He  surely  will,  for  He  has  said,  "  Him  that  com- 
eth  unto  me  I  will  not  cast  out."  *  On  her  face 
was  an  almost  heavenly  light — as  she  replied  : 
'  Then  /  do  believe,  and  I  want  to  go  with  you 
that  you  may  tell  me  about  Him  until  I  die.' 
Her  friends  ridiculed  her  saying,  '  Oho ! 
Grandma  wants  to  go  off  with  the  preacher. 
She  is  becoming  foolish  in  her  old  age.'  '  Oh, 
no,'  she  said.  '  But  the  preacher  has  told  me 
how  I  may  escape  the  penalty  of  hell,  and  /  am 
so  glad!  " 

It  has  often  been  asserted  that  Buddhism  has  a 
moral  code  rivaling,  if  not  superior  to  that  of 
Christianity.  We  had  not  been  at  our  mission 
station  a  week  before  we  heard  the  remark, 
"  Buddhism  is  a  beautiful  religion, — why  do  the 
missionaries  try  to  disturb  them  in  their  behef  ?" 


122  Among  the  Burmans 

That  there  are  noble  precepts  and  command- 
ments all  must  admit.  But  he  who  expects  to 
see  their  "  beauty "  reflected  in  the  lives  of  the 
people  will  be  doomed  to  disappointment.  Take 
the  commandment  already  noticed — "  Thou  shalt 
not  take  the  life  of  any  living  thing." 

This  commandment  admits  of  no  exceptions 
whatever,  under  any  possible  circumstances,  not 
even  in  self-defense ;  and  puts  the  taking  of  a 
human  Hfe  and  that  of  the  smallest  insect  in  the 
same  category.  But  the  Burmans,  among  whom 
Buddhism  is  found  in  its  purest  form,  have  been 
a  more  or  less  warlike  race  from  their  earliest 
history,  often  practicing  the  greatest  cruelties. 
How  do  they  reconcile  this  with  the  teachings 
of  their  law?  We  will  suppose  that  one  man 
has  taken  the  life  of  another.  According  to  his 
own  behef  and  the  law  of  the  land,  he  is  a  mur- 
derer. To  free  himself  from  just  and  inevitable 
penalty  he  resorts  to  his  doctrine  of  "  merit," 
by  which  he  may  absolve  himself  from  the  de- 
merit of  his  evil  act.  The  building  of  a  small 
pagoda  of  sun-dried  brick,  or  the  forming  of  an 
idol  from  a  portion  of  his  fire-wood  log  will  bal- 
ance the  scales,  square  the  account,  restore  him 
to  his  former  prospects,  and  to  future  prospects 
as  bright  as  though  he  had  kept  the  whole  law. 
By  this  convenient  belief  he  may  take  his  abso- 
lution into  his  own  hands,  and  work  it  out  to 
suit  himself.     But  if  he  be  a  poor  man,  unable 


Buddhism  As  It  Is  123 

to  perform  an  adequate  work  of  merit,  he  must 
suffer  to  the  full  the  consequences  of  his  act. 

A  missionary  found  a  man  digging  for  huge 
beetles.  When  one  was  found  it  was  impaled 
on  a  sharp  stick  along  with  the  others,  all  to  go 
into  the  curry  for  the  morning  meal.  Then  the 
following  conversation  took  place :  "  Are  you 
not  afraid  of  punishment  in  hell  for  killing  these 
creatures  ?  "  "I  shall  go  there  if  I  do  not  kill 
them."  "  Then  you  do  this  because  there  is  no 
hope  for  you,  whether  you  take  animal  life  or 
not  ?  "  "  It  is  all  the  same."  Sins  beyond  his 
power  to  counterbalance  by  merit  had  already 
been  committed,  until  hope  had  given  way  to 
despair. 

One  may  shoot  pigeons  in  the  vicinity  of  a 
Buddhist  monastery,  and  then  divide  with  the 
priest,  who  anticipates  a  savoury  meal  without  any 
compunctions  of  conscience  on  account  of  "  aiding 
and  abetting." 

Young  Burmans  are  eager  to  follow  the  man 
with  the  gun,  showing  him  the  likeliest  place  to 
find  game,  and  when  the  animal  is  wounded,  will 
rush  in  and  dispatch  it  with  their  dahs. 

The  fisheries  of  Burma  furnish  a  livelihood  to 
hundreds  of  Burmans.  Large  sums  are  paid  to 
government  annually  for  the  privilege  of  con- 
trolling certain  specified  sections  of  rivers  or 
streams.  The  fisherman  makes  the  taking  of 
animal-life  his  business  and  daily  occupation. 


124  Among  the  Burmans 

Theoretically  he  is  ranked  among  the  very- 
lowest  classes.  In  real  life  we  find  him  enjoying 
the  same  social  position  that  others  of  equal 
wealth  enjoy.  But  I  do  not  hesitate  to  say  that 
this  general  belief  that  fearful  penalties  must  be 
endured  in  future  existences  for  taking  animal- 
life  in  this,  has  a  deeper  hold  on  the  Buddhist 
than  any  other  commandment. 

Take  the  commandment :  "  Thou  shalt  speak 
no  false  word," — strikingly  like  the  Christian's 
commandment,  "  Thou  shalt  not  bear  false  wit- 
ness," "  Lie  not  one  to  another."  One  would 
naturally  expect  to  find  among  the  devotees  of  a 
system  containing  such  a  commandment  some 
value  placed  upon  one's  word  of  honour.  But  if 
truthfulness  has  ever  been  discovered  among  non- 
Christian  Burmans,  the  discovery  has  never  been 
reported.  But  we  have  not  far  to  search  to  find 
the  secret  of  this  general  lack  of  any  regard  for 
truthfulness. 

The  same  "  Sacred  Book  "  that  sets  forth  the 
commandment, "  Thou  thalt  speak  no  false  word," 
gives  this  definition  of  falsehood  :  A  statement 
constitutes  a  lie  when  discovered  by  the  person 
to  whom  it  is  told,  to  be  untrue  !  See  what  lat- 
itude such  a  definition  gives.  Deceit  is  at  a 
premium.  Children  grow  up  with  no  higher 
standard  of  honour  than  a  belief  that  the  sin  of 
falsehood  and  fraud  lies  entirely  in  its  discovery. 
Is  it  any  wonder  that  these  people  have  become 


Buddhism  As  It  Is  125 

expert  in  the  art.  It  is  the  common  practice 
among  themselves, — in  business,  in  family  life, 
in  match-making,  and  most  of  all,  in  their  deal- 
ings with  foreigners.  No  European  (after  the 
first  year)  places  the  slightest  reliance  upon  the 
most  emphatic  promise  of  a  heathen  Burman. 
In  fact,  the  more  emphatic  the  promise,  the 
greater  seems  to  be  the  temptation  to  do  just  the 
other  thing.  It  may  have  been  this  inbred  trait 
that  led  the  schoolboy  to  translate  "  Judge  not, 
that  ye  be  not  judged,"  by  *'  Do  no  justice,  lest 
justice  be  done  to  you." 

When  it  is  remembered  that  deceit  and  fraud 
are  national  vices,  bred  in  the  bone  for  centuries, 
it  is  not  to  be  marvelled  at  that  native  Christians, 
only  a  step  from  heathenism,  are  sometimes 
found  deficient  in  their  sense  of  honour.  Here 
is  an  illustration  in  point.  A  young  Burman 
wanted  to  become  a  Christian.  He  became  a 
regular  attendant  at  chapel  services,  and  finally 
asked  for  baptism.  This  greatly  enraged  his 
heathen  wife,  who  proceeded  to  make  his  life 
most  miserable.  She  tore  around,  screamed, 
pulled  her  own  hair,  and  made  things  interesting 
generally.  She  got  possession  of  his  box  con- 
taining his  best  clothing  and  other  valuables,  and 
would  neither  give  it  back  to  him  nor  live  any 
longer  with  him  unless  he  would  promise  to 
break  with  the  Christians,  and  cease  attending 
their  worship.     The  young  man  appealed  to  his 


126  Among  the  Burmans 

uncle.  The  uncle's  advice  was  :  "  You  go  and 
tell  your  wife  that  you  will  have  nothing  more  to 
do  with  the  Christians.  You  cannot  recover  your 
property  in  any  other  way.  When  you  have  re- 
gained possession  of  your  box,  come  back  to  us, 
and  then  we  will  baptize  you."  So  far  as  he 
then  knew,  the  end  justified  the  means.  Take 
the  commandment :  "  Thou  shalt  commit  no  im- 
moral act," — an  ideal  precept  in  itself,  but  stand- 
ing for  little  more  than  a  joke  when  inscribed  on 
the  banner  of  any  non-Christian  people.  The 
Burman  is  perhaps  superior,  morally,  to  some 
other  races  of  this  country,  yet  his  moral  sense 
is  very  low.  Among  middle-aged  people  mar- 
riage seems  to  be  an  actual  institution,  and  fam- 
ily life  well  guarded.  Separations  are  compara- 
tively few.  Conditions  of  life  in  the  tropics  are 
such  that  the  young  are  subject  to  temptations 
sad  to  contemplate.  Heathen  parents  freely  dis- 
cuss subjects  in  the  presence  of  their  children 
that  never  would  be  mentioned  before  them  in  a 
Christian  home.  Missionaries'  children  often 
startle  their  parents  by  repeating  what  never 
should  have  come  to  their  ears.  It  seems  a 
wonder  that  moral  character  exists  at  all  among 
the  young.  That  many  do  set  a  high  value  upon 
virtue  no  unprejudiced  observer  of  native  life  can 
doubt.  Jealousy  plays  a  large  part  in  early  separa- 
tions, and  with  sufficient  cause.  Both  may  find 
other  partners  of  their  joys  on  the  day  following. 


Buddhism  As  It  Is  127 

Among  all  races  there  are  certain  laws  and 
social  customs  that  in  large  measure  restrain  evil 
practices.  Even  among  the  heathen  a  certain 
value  is  placed  upon  one's  social  standing  in 
the  community, — which  has  greater  weight 
than  the  commandment  against  immorality,  in 
his  "  law."  An  educated  Burman  once  said 
to  me — "  Burmans  do  not  take  much  account 
of  sin,  but  they  do  not  like  to  lose  their  respect- 
ability." 

Other  commandments,  such  as  those  directed 
against "  love  of  the  world,"  and  "  love  of  money," 
seem  to  be  honoured  more  in  the  breach  than  in 
the  observance.  The  Burmans  are  notoriously 
the  proudest,  gayest  people  on  the  face  of  the 
earth.  They  enjoy  a  good  time  and  will  have  it, 
whatever  the  occasion.  There  is  little  of  real 
religious  significance  in  their  so-called  religious 
gatherings.  A  display  of  fine  clothes,  a  few 
presents  for  the  priests  ;  some  of  the  more  de- 
vout, especially  the  elderly  women,  worshipping 
before  the  shrine.  But  a  large  majority  will  be 
found  sitting  in  the  "  zayats  "  talking  familiarly 
among  themselves,  painting  the  ground  below 
red  with  ^un-juice  by  spitting  through  cracks  in 
the  floor,  and  never  going  near  the  pagodas  or 
idols  at  all.  The  Buddhists  are  proud  of  their 
"  law,"  and  lay  great  stress  upon  it  for  purposes 
of  argument.  But  as  we  have  seen,  either  from 
their  low  moral  sense,  or  their  dependence  on 


128  Among  the  Burmans 

works  of  merit,  the  "  law  "  has  httle  effect  on  the 
lives  of  the  people. 

We  visited  that  most  famous  worship-place  of 
the  Buddhists,  the  Shwe  Dagon  pagoda,  and  for 
the  first  time  saw  heathenism  as  it  is.  We  had 
read  "  The  Light  of  Asia  "  ;  and  heard  theoso- 
phists  talk  glibly  of  •'  Mahatmas  "  whose  wisdom 
is  more  ancient  and  profound  than  anything  in 
the  religious  literature  of  the  West. 

But  here  we  saw  the  yellow-robed,  "  Light  of 
Asia"  (more  fittingly  called  the  "  BHght  of 
Asia  ")  and  the  graven  image,  both  representing 
their  annihilated  Buddha,  seemingly  equal  in  in- 
telligence, and  sharing  together  the  superstitious 
worship  of  the  common  people.  Up  the  long  as- 
cent to  the  pagoda  is  a  covered  way,  its  brick  or 
flagged  steps  hollowed  out  by  the  tramp,  tramp 
of  thousands  on  thousands  of  barefooted  worship- 
pers, extending  over  many,  many  years. 

Guarding  the  approach  are  two  horrible  griffins, 
the  first  suggestion  of  the  superstitious  mind  of 
these  benighted  people.  On  either  side  of  the 
stairway  are  sellers  of  artificial  flowers,  paper 
streamers,  candles,  and  other  things  used  as  of- 
ferings, each  worshipper  stopping  to  invest  in 
whatever  he  thinks  will  gain  for  him  the  greatest 
amount  of  merit  at  the  least  possible  cost.  This 
great  pagoda  itself  1,350  feet  in  circumference, 
tapering  in  graceful  curves  to  a  height  of  328 
feet,  is  entirely  covered  with  gold  leaf.     It  is  said 


Buddhism  As  It  Is  129 

that  the  pagoda  has  been  regilded  several  times, 
at  fabulous  cost.  But  this  docs  not  seem  so 
wonderful  when  one  recalls  that  the  Parliament 
of  Religions  witnessed  the  regilding  of  the  en- 
tire Buddhist  system. 

This  lofty  spire  is  surmounted  by  a  htee  or 
umbrella  ornamented  with  gems  and  gold  said  to 
be  valued  at  about  ^200,000.  The  htee  has 
been  renewed  several  times,  by  different  kings, 
each  striving  to  outdo  all  others.  The  present 
htee  was  placed  there  in  1 871,  by  Mindon  Min. 
The  space  around  the  base  of  the  pagoda,  pro- 
tected by  a  parapet,  and  flagged  with  stone  or 
cement,  accommodates  a  large  throng  of  wor- 
shippers. Hither  pilgrimages  are  made  every 
year  from  all  parts  of  Burma.  Besides  the  four 
large  idols  built  into  the  base  of  the  pagoda  far 
out  of  sight,  as  in  all  pagodas,  there  are  many 
auxiliary  shrines  deeply  recessed  into  the  base, 
dimly  lighted  by  tiny  candles,  and  containing 
gilded  or  alabaster  images  of  Gautama.  Still 
other  shrines  have  been  erected  at  the  outer  cir- 
cumference of  the  floor  space.  Huge  bells  are 
suspended  between  posts,  near  the  floor. 

The  largest,  cast  in  1842,  is  fourteen  feet  high, 
seven  and  a  half  in  diameter,  with  sides  fifteen 
inches  in  thickness,  weighs  94,682  pounds.  It  is 
said  that  when  this  bell  was  cast,  quantities  of 
gold,  silver  and  copper  were  thrown  in  as  offer- 
ings.    After  the  second  Burmese  war,  the  Eng- 


130  Among  the  Burmans 

lish  undertook  to  carry  this  bell  away  as  a  curio, 
but  by  some  accident  it  fell  into  the  river.  The 
Burmans  afterwards  recovered  it  and  put  it  again 
in  its  place, — a  marvellous  feat,  considering  their 
rude  appliances. 

Intensely  interesting  is  all  this  when  seen  for 
the  first  time ;  but  inexpressibly  saddening  when 
one  stops  to  reflect  what  it  all  stands  for.  One 
is  forcibly  reminded  of  its  terrible  significance  by 
groups  of  worshippers  kneeling  before  these 
shrines,  mumbling  hurriedly  through  their  so- 
called  prayers,  prostrating  themselves  repeatedly 
to  the  ground.  After  going  through  his  prayers 
and  prostrations  the  worshipper  goes  to  the  bell 
and  strikes  it  with  the  end  of  a  heavy  piece  of 
wood,  kept  there  for  the  purpose.  The  attention 
of  gods  and  men  must  be  called  to  the  fact  that 
he  has  performed  a  certain  amount  of  merit-earn- 
ing worship.  "  Thou  shalt  have  no  other  gods 
before  me.  Thou  shalt  not  make  unto  thee  any 
graven  image  nor  any  likeness  of  anything  that 
is  in  heaven  above  or  that  is  in  the  earth  beneath ; 
thou  shalt  not  bow  down  to  them  nor  serve 
them."  What  new  meaning  that  commandment 
had  for  us,  as  we  saw  it  violated  before  our  eyes ! 
Idolatry  seemed  even  darker  than  it  had  been 
painted. 

Pagodas  may  be  seen  all  over  Burma,  single  or 
in  groups ;  of  all  sizes  from  the  less  pretentious 
structure  in  the  jungle- village,  to  the  great  Shwe 


Buddhism  As  It  Is  131 

Dagon  in  Rangoon,  with  its  umbrella-top  328 
feet  in  the  air.  These  pagodas,  modelled  after 
the  dagobas  of  Ceylon,  are  all  of  the  same  gen- 
eral shape,  resembling  the  bottom  half  of  a  child's 
top,  inverted.  They  occupy  the  most  conspicu- 
ous places,  on  nearly  every  hilltop,  on  points  jut- 
ting out  into  the  rivers,  and  near  the  chief  high- 
ways. The  more  important  were  built  over  some 
supposed  relic  of  Gautama,  such  as  a  tooth  or  a 
hair.  These  pagodas  are  considered  much  more 
sacred  than  those  that  were  built  for  merit 
only. 

The  Shwe  Dagon  pagoda,  most  famous  of  all 
Buddhist  shrines,  is  said  to  have  been  built  over 
relics  of  four  Buddhas,  including  eight  hairs  of 
Guatama.  The  Shwe  Hmaw  Daw  pagoda  at 
Pegu,  erected  by  the  Takings,  claims  a  tooth  of 
Gautama.  The  Shwe  San  Daw  pagoda  at  Toun- 
goo  has  a  different  history.  A  Burman  prince, 
Tabin  Shwe'  Htee,  when  born  had  one  long  red 
hair  standing  out  from  the  top  of  his  head.  This 
was  a  sure  indication  of  an  embryonic  Buddha. 
In  his  honour  the  great  pagoda  was  erected,  and 
called  the  "  Golden  Hair  Pagoda."  The  Maha 
Myat  Moonee  pagoda  at  Mandalay,  commonly 
known  as  the  "  Arracan  Pagoda  "  is  second  only 
to  the  Shwe  Dagon,  in  the  esteem  of  Upper  Bur- 
mans.  In  A.  D.,  146,  the  King  of  Arracan  cast  a 
great  brass  image  of  Gautama,  which  became  fa- 
mous for  its  supposed  miraculous  powers.     In 


132  Among  the  Burmans 

A.  D.,  1784,  the  king  of  Burma,  having  conquered 
other  parts  of  the  country,  and  secured  about 
everything  he  wanted,  turned  longing  eyes  to- 
wards Arracan  and  the  far-famed  image.  This 
great  image,  twelve  feet  high,  though  cast  in  a 
sitting  posture, — was  brought  over  the  mountains 
and  deposited  at  the  Arracan  pagoda  in  a  large 
building  specially  prepared  for  it,  north  of  Ama- 
rapura.  Not  a  smile  disturbs  the  settled  calm 
on  its  face  as  the  visitor  reads  the  inscription  set- 
ting forth  that  the  image  was  drawn  here  by  the 
"  charm  of  the  king's  piety."  But  from  other 
sources  we  learn  that  his  piety  found  expression 
in  a  war  of  conquest,  of  which  this  image  was 
one  of  the  coveted  fruits.  Its  importation  over 
the  mountains  was  a  wonderful  feat.  Little 
wonder  that  Burmans  think  it  was  accomplished 
by  supernatural  help. 

A  few  miles  north  of  Mandalay  is  the  great 
Mingon  pagoda,  begun  in  1790,  and  never 
finished.  It  is  four  hundred  feet  square  at  the 
base,  and  was  to  have  been  carried  up  to  a 
height  of  five  hundred  feet,  but  work  was  sus- 
pended when  it  had  reached  about  one  third  of  its 
intended  height,  the  country  already  having  be- 
come seriously  impoverished. 

In  1839  ^n  earthquake  split  it  from  top  to 
bottom.  No  one  mourned  the  seeming  disaster, 
for  no  king  could  gain  the  "  royal  merit "  by 
completing  the  work  of  another.     As  it  is,  this 


Buddhism  As  It  Is  133 

Mingon  pagoda  is  said  to  be  the  largest  pile  of 
brick  and  mortar  in  the  world. 

The  largest  bell  in  Burma,  weighing  between 
eighty  and  ninety  tons,  and  second  in  size  to  the 
great  bell  at  Moscow,  cast  to  match  the  immense 
pagoda,  is  still  to  be  seen  near  the  ruins.  This 
bell  is  eighteen  feet  high,  seventeen  in  diameter, 
and  a  foot  and  a  half  in  thickness.  It  now  rests 
on  the  ground,  having  long  ago  proved  too  heavy 
for  its  supports. 

Pagodas  are  not  temples.  There  is  no  open 
interior  for  a  worship  place.  The  worshipping  is 
done  in  the  open  space  around  the  pagoda,  or  in 
the  idol-houses,  the  real  temples. 

The  first  pagoda  was  probably  built  at  the 
close  of  the  fourth  century  or  even  later ;  though 
Buddhists  refer  it  to  a  much  earlier  date.  The 
sacred  books  of  Buddhism  were  brought  to 
Burma  about  397  a.  d.,  according  to  the  best 
authorities. 

Before  the  introduction  of  Buddhism  the 
Burmans  and  Takings,  like  all  other  races  around 
them,  were  spirit-worshippers.  They  knew  no 
gods  but  nats,  spirits  with  supernatural  powers. 
The  reigning  king  became  a  convert  to  the  new 
religion,  built  a  pagoda,  and  issued  a  royal  de- 
cree that  all  his  subjects  should  worship  it,  death 
being  the  penalty  of  refusal.  The  king's  edict 
failing  to  accomplish  its  purpose,  he  cunningly 
commanded   that   a    nat-sin   or   spirit-house  be 


134  Among  the  Burmans 

built  near  the  pagoda.  The  transition  from  the 
worship  of  invisible  nats  to  the  worship  of  the 
more  tangible  pagoda  was  natural  and  inevita- 
ble. 

"  It  was  by  a  strange  irony  of  fate,"  says  Sir 
Monier  Williams, "  that  the  man  who  denied  any 
God  or  any  being  higher  than  himself,  and  told 
his  followers  to  look  to  themselves  for  salvation, 
should  have  been  not  only  deified  and  wor- 
shipped, but  represented  by  more  images  than  any 
other  being  ever  idoHzed  in  any  part  of  the 
world." 

Dharmapala,  who  represented  Buddhism  at  the 
Parliament  of  Religions,  said :  "  A  system  in 
which  our  whole  being,  past,  and  present,  and  to 
come,  depends  on  ourselves,  theoretically,  leaves 
httle  room  for  the  interference  or  even  existence 
of  a  personal  God."  It  really  leaves  no  room  at  all, 
and  its  founder  plainly  said  so.  Buddhism  is  a 
worship  of  ancestors,  of  which  Gautama  holds  a 
monopoly. 

As  we  have  seen,  at  the  advent  of  Buddhism 
the  worship  of  evil  spirits,  by  propitiatory  sacri- 
fice, prevailed  throughout  Burma,  among  all 
races.  It  is  not  to  be  supposed  that  the  adop- 
tion of  Buddhism  dispelled  these  superstitions. 
Spirit-worship  is  still  the  religion,  if  it  can  be 
called  a  religion, — of  the  non-Christian  Karens, 
Chins,  Kachins,  and  other  non-Buddhist  races. 
When  Buddhism  was  adopted  by  the  Takings, 


Buddhism  As  It  Is  135 

Burmans,  and  Shans,  bloody  sacrifice  involving 
the  taking  of  animal-hfe,  had  to  be  aban- 
doned. But  to  this  day  propitiatory  offerings  of 
rice,  fruit,  or  flowers,  are  made  to  the  spirits  as 
before.  "  Animism  supplies  the  solid  con- 
stituents," says  a  recent  writer,  "  that  hold  the 
faith  together,  Buddhism  the  superficial  polish. 
The  Burman  has  added  to  his  Animism  just  so 
much  of  Buddhism  as  suits  him,  and  with  infan- 
tile inconsequence  draws  solace  from  each  in 
turn."  Spirit-worship  is  his  every-day  religion, 
Buddhism  for  special  occasions.  Two  illustra- 
tions will  suffice  to  show  how  strong  a  hold 
superstition  still  has  upon  the  people.  A  harm- 
less lunatic  had  wandered  through  the  streets  for 
years.  No  one  seemed  to  know  the  cause,  but 
his  reason,  what  little  he  ever  possessed,  had 
been  dethroned,  leaving  him  to  wander  about 
homeless  and  friendless.  For  his  living  he  had 
to  compete  with  the  pariah  dogs  in  the  common 
effort  to  exist  on  what  the  people  chanced  to  cast 
into  the  street  after  finishing  their  meals.  One 
of  the  priests,  thinking  to  gain  notoriety  as  well 
as  more  substantial  favours,  declared  that  this 
man  was  a  case  of  demoniacal  possession.  This 
was  nothing  new,  for  it  is  the  common  belief  that 
nats  are  responsible  for  disordered  minds,  sick- 
ness, and  other  calamities.  But  the  priest 
further  suggested  that  the  nat  that  had  taken  up 
his  abode  in  this  man  be  exorcised  by  drowning 


136  Among  the  Burmans 

him  out.  A  company  of  Burmans  assembled, 
secured  the  demoniac,  and  headed  by  the  priest 
and  tom-toms,  proceeded  to  the  river.  The 
poor  demoniac,  filthy,  naked  and  with  matted 
hair, — a  picture  of  abject  helplessness, — was  led 
by  a  rope  to, — he  knew  not  what.  Several  of 
the  men  took  the  poor  creature  in  a  boat  to  the 
middle  of  the  river,  and  threw  him  overboard. 
When  he  tried  to  regain  the  boat  they  thrust 
him  off  with  their  bamboo  poles.  When  he  be- 
came exhausted  and  water-logged  they  would  res- 
cue him,  only  to  throw  him  in  again  after  a  brief 
breathing  spell.  This  was  repeated  for  several 
days  in  the  presence  of  the  would-be  wonder- 
worker, to  the  deafening  sound  of  the  tom-toms. 
It  is  needless  to  add  that  he  continued  to  roam 
the  streets,  in  the  same  condition  as  before.  At 
one  time  when  out  on  a  tour  among  jungle- 
villages  a  native  Christian  called  my  attention  to 
a  large  banyan-tree  by  the  roadside.  Up  on  one 
of  the  higher  branches  was  a  large  gnarl,  which, 
by  a  long  stretch  of  the  imagination  slightly  re- 
sembled a  human  face.  The  tree  was  standing 
there  before  the  oldest  inhabitant  was  born. 

The  gnarl  was  a  peculiar  growth  of  many 
years.  One  day  a  passer-by  noticed  a  fancied 
resemblance  to  a  human  face,  and  spread  the 
story  that  the  tree  was  haunted, — that  it  was  the 
abode  of  a  nat.  Of  course  the  superstitious  and 
gullible  people  believed  it.     A  zayat  was  quickly 


Buddhism  As  It  Is  137 

built  under  the  tree  ;  many  brought  offerings  of 
rice,  fruit,  and  flowers,  and  all  who  passed  by 
that  tree  bowed  down  to  worship  that  big  knot 
on  the  limb.  The  dread  of  evil  spirits  is  the 
bane  of  existence.  There  is  constant  fear  lest 
some  real  or  fancied  lack  of  respect  paid  to  the 
nats  will  bring  some  kind  of  disaster. 

Nagas  are  the  most  feared  of  all.  There  are 
several  different  kinds  of  nagas.  Some  live 
under  water,  others  on  land.  They  are  dragon- 
like reptiles,  "  fearsome  "  and  terribly  dreaded  by 
old  and  young.  When  a  man  is  drowning  it  is 
because  a  naga  is  drawing  him  down.  Does  a 
man  sink  and  not  reappear,  a  naga  has  got  him 
sure.  On-lookers  fear  to  go  to  the  rescue.  But 
there  is  one  great  naga,  most  dreaded  of  all,  so 
long  that  it  encircles  the  earth,  which  to  the 
native  mind,  is  as  flat  as  a  pancake.  This  mon- 
ster is  constantly  moving  forward,  so  that  the 
position  of  its  head  is  ever  changing.  But 
fortunately  the  astrologers  have  discovered  that 
its  progress  in  its  orbit  is  regular,  and  the  loca- 
tion of  its  head  may  be  known,  according  to 
season  of  the  year,  a  full  year  being  required  for 
the  circuit.  Every  Burman  knows  in  what 
direction  is  the  awful  naga's  head  at  a  given 
season.  No  love  nor  money  will  tempt  them 
to  travel  through  the  jungle  in  that  direction,  in 
unfamiliar  territory. 

Naga-worship     once    prevailed    in    northern 


138  Among  the  Burmans 

India.  Whether  imported  into  Burma,  or  also 
existing  in  Burma  before  the  introduction  of 
Indian  influences  in  the  north,  is  not  known. 
But  up  to  the  eleventh  century  naga-vvorship  was 
the  most  conspicuous  feature  in  the  observances 
of  both  spirit-worshippers  and  nominal  Bud- 
dhists. Even  now  it  is  not  uncommon  to  hear  a 
Burman,  suffering  from  some  calamity  or  disease, 
lamenting  that  he  has  in  some  way  brought  dis- 
aster to  himself  by  unwillingly  offending  the 
great  naga.  Once  it  was  my  good  fortune  to 
profit  by  their  superstitious  notions.  Having 
rented  a  native  house  as  temporary  quarters,  I 
learned  soon  after  moving  in,  that  it  had  the 
reputation  of  being  haunted.  Spirits  of  certain 
"  dacoits  "  who  came  to  a  sudden  death  in  a  jail 
that  formerly  stood  near  by,  were  supposed  to  fre- 
quent the  place.  From  that  time  on  I  could 
sleep  in  perfect  security  against  all  thought  of 
prowling  thieves.  No  fear  that  any  native 
would  come  near  that  house  after  dark.  Bud- 
dhism a  "  Beautiful  Religion  "  ?  That  it  has 
many  noble  precepts  no  one  will  deny.  The 
same  is  true  of  every  system  of  philosophy  ever 
formulated.  But  at  its  best  it  furnishes  no  in- 
centive to  righteous  living,  beyond  one's  own 
self-interest.  It  offers  no  help  or  hope  whatever, 
beyond  one's  own  unaided  efforts.  If  man  can- 
not save  himself  he  must  stay  where  he  is,  or  be 
sinking  lower,  ever  lower. 


Buddhism  As  It  Is  139 

Buddhism,  as  seen  in  the  Ufa  of  the  people,  is 
rotten  to  the  core.  We  have  seen  how  its  adherents 
craftily  seek  to  evade  the  precepts  and  command- 
ments of  their  "  law,"  so  far  as  possible ;  and 
then  to  balance  their  evil  doings  by  works 
of  merit.  The  priests  prey  upon  the  supersti- 
tions of  their  people,  and  grow  fat.  If  offerings 
to  the  monastery  do  not  come  in  so  freely  as 
desired  the  wily  priest  conveniently  has  a  re- 
markable dream,  in  which  a  nat  reveals  to  him 
that  terrible  calamities  will  befall  the  people  if 
they  do  not  increase  their  zeal. 

This  invariably  has  the  desired  effect.  There 
is  a  general  hustling  throughout  the  jurisdiction 
of  the  monastery;  and  soon  the  greedy  priests 
are  fairly  swamped  with  presents  of  plantains, 
rice,  cocoanuts,  etc. 

At  Kyankse  there  is  a  very  steep  hill,  with 
several  pagodas  at  the  top.  A  missionary  re- 
lates that  he  there  "  met  an  aged  man  who,  to 
gain  merit,  climbs  to  the  summit  every  day 
carrying  two  pots  of  water  (about  seventy 
pounds)  for  the  use  of  the  people  who  may  come 
to  worship  there.  He  had  a  writing  from  the 
Buddhist  priest,  assuring  him  that  a  Buddha  was 
about  to  appear,  and  if  he  continued  in  this 
meritorious  work  for  seven  years  he  would  see 
the  Buddha,  and  be  rewarded." 

The  priest,  in  order  to  secure  a  regular  supply 
of  water,  had  deliberately  duped  this  simple  old 


140  Among  the  BurmanS 

man.  And  yet,  as  a  work  of  merit,  his  daily 
task  had  a  certain  value,  according  to  Buddhist 
teaching. 

The  utter  powerlessness  of  Buddhism  to  meet 
the  needs  of  the  human  heart  forced  itself  upon 
me  when  first  I  witnessed  one  of  their  funerals. 

A  rich  Burman  jeweller,  living  near  our  chapel, 
died  of  old  age.  One  of  his  sons  occupied  a 
high  official  position.  Of  course  the  funeral 
must  be  a  grand  affair.  We  reached  the  place 
just  as  the  procession  was  forming.  First,  there 
were  four  men  bearing  a  bamboo  frame  on  which 
was  an  artificial  tree,  four  feet  high,  its  branches 
wound  with  bright  coloured  paper.  From  the 
ends  of  the  branches  silver  coins  wrapped  in 
paper,  were  suspended.  This  money  was  to  buy 
offerings  for  the  pagodas.  Fifty-six  men  in 
squads  of  four,  carried  bamboo  frames  on  which 
were  piled  gifts  for  the  priests,  consisting  of  mats, 
rugs,  chinaware,  lacquered-ware,  lamps,  etc. 
There  were  fourteen  of  these  frames,  being  one 
each  for  fourteen  priests.  Four  coolies,  each 
carrying  on  his  shoulder  a  bamboo  pole  from 
which  were  suspended  jackets  and  skirts  to  be 
given  to  the  poor.  A  double  line  of  men  with 
slender  strips  of  bamboo  covered  with  showy 
paper,  held  upright  like  so  many  spears.  Then 
came  the  procession  proper,  headed  by  one  of 
the  rich  relations  carrying  a  lacquer  vessel  filled 
with    copper   coin.     Four  coolies   carrying  two 


Buddhism  As  It  Is  141 

Burmese  drums,  suspended  from  bamboo  poles. 
Two  little  boys  fantastically  dressed,  danced  be- 
fore the  drums,  turning  around  in  a  solemn,  but 
graceful  manner,  and  at  each  turn  striking  the 
drums  with  their  fists. 

Then  the  mourners  and  friends,  two  daughters 
being  dressed  in  white,  with  handkerchiefs  tied 
round  their  heads  as  hair-bands.  The  coffin, 
covered  with  gold  leaf,  tinsel,  and  mirror  glass, 
was  elevated  on  a  framework,  about  ten  feet 
above  the  four-wheeled  cart  on  which  the  frame- 
work rested.  Above  the  coffin  were  several  roof- 
like projections,  one  above  another  forming  a 
pyramid,  surmounted  by  a  spire  twenty  feet  high. 
Framework  and  spire  were  covered  with  showy 
paper  and  tinsel  in  artistic  designs,  and  adorned 
with  flags.  The  cart  was  drawn  and  pushed  along 
by  as  many  men  as  could  get  around  it,  long 
streamers  of  white  cloth  or  ropes  extending  for- 
ward to  the  friends  in  front.  Next  to  the  bier  was 
an  oxcart  with  the  Burman  band,  or  tom-toms. 
One  man  was  blowing  on  an  instrument  resem- 
bling a  large-mouthed  flageolet,  from  which 
issued  a  tuneless  succession  of  weird  sounds, — 
music  to  their  ears,  no  doubt, — but  most  melan- 
choly to  ours.  Another  was  sitting  inside  of  a 
low  circular  frame  with  small  drums  arranged  in 
a  semicircle,  each  producing  a  different  sound. 
Behind  the  cart  was  a  man  with  the  cymbals, 
which    he    manipulated    with   marvellous   skill. 


142  Among  the  Burmans 

though  the  vibratory  sounds  and  clangour  were 
excruciating  in  the  extreme  to  sensitive  nerves. 
On  another  cart,  under  a  canopy  of  red  and  white 
cloth  was  another  coffin  more  elaborately  deco- 
rated, but  empty,  merely  for  pomp  and  show,  or 
to  fool  the  evil  spirits.  If  in  the  extra  coffin  the 
consequences  of  a  man's  evil  deeds,  together  with 
desire,  which  constitutes  the  germ  of  the  next 
existence,  could  also  be  buried,  it  would  be  the 
ne  plus  ultra  of  hope  to  the  Buddhist, 

Then  followed  several  "  gharries  "  with  well- 
to-do  acquaintances  of  the  family.  As  the  pro- 
cession moved  slowly  along  the  man  with  the 
pot  of  copper  coin  now  and  then  threw  a  handful 
forward  into  the  crowd  of  poor  children,  and  oh 
what  a  scramble  !  The  priests  had  already  gath- 
ered at  the  "  zayat"  in  the  cemetery  to  receive 
the  expected  offerings.  Had  they  been  present 
at  the  bedside  to  minister  some  hope  to  the 
dying  man  who  was  about  to  pass  out  into  the 
awful  dark  ?  Not  at  all,  for  the  priest  is  sup- 
posed to  be  passing  through  the  process  of  crush- 
ing out  all  natural  feeling.  He  must  not  show 
that  he  is  influenced  in  the  least  by  death-bed 
scenes.  Did  they  minister  consolation  to  the 
sorrowing  ones  ?  Not  at  all,  for  the  priest  is  not 
supposed  to  feel  the  least  sympathy  with  sorrow 
and  distress.  To  "  Rejoice  with  them  that  re- 
joice, and  weep  with  them  that  weep  "  is  not  in 
all  his  thoughts.     He  came  not  to  minister,  but 


Buddhism  As  It  Is  143 

to  be  ministered  unto, — a  complete  reversal  of 
the  Christian  principle.  So  at  the  funeral  he 
offers  no  consolation,  but  expects  to  be  himself 
consoled,  very  substantially.  At  the  cemetery 
he  sits  in  the  zayat  on  his  elevated  platform, 
chewing  and  spitting  hin — the  picture  of  indo- 
lence and  indifference.  After  the  burial  the 
afflicted  ones,  sorrowing  without  hope,  with 
hearts  bleeding  as  even  heathen  hearts  can  bleed, 
come  and  prostrate  themselves  before  the  priests, 
worshipping  them  in  their  very  despair.  But  the 
priests  seem  neither  to  see  nor  to  hear.  Their 
minds  from  which  "  love  of  the  world  "  has  been 
well-nigh  extinguished  ( ! )  are  intent  upon  the 
rich  presents  with  which  their  monastery  is  being 
filled. 

Doubtless  there  are  priests,  especially  the  aged, 
who  are  sincerely  striving  to  keep  the  "  law  "  in 
spirit  as  well  as  in  letter.  But  the  very  spirit  of 
the  law  is  selfishness. 

The  Buddhist  sacred  books  were  a  gradual  but 
abnormal  growth.  They  contain  comparatively 
little  of  the  actual  teachings  of  Gautama,  but  a  vast 
deal  that  Gautama  would  not  have  sanctioned. 
Marvellous  stories  have  grown  up  around  the 
memory  of  Gautama,  whom  the  people  of  his  time 
regarded  as  a  "  religious  hero,  rather  than  a  god." 
The  most  absurdly  extravagant  statements  as  to 
time,  dimensions,  space,  and  numbers,  are  found 
in  these  stories.      Imagination   has  run  riot  in 


144  Among  the  Burmans 

fabricating  accounts  of  impossible  miracles  per- 
formed by  Gautama. 

Modern  geography,  if  seriously  taken  into  ac- 
count by  Buddhists,  would  stampede  the  whole 
Buddhist  system.  And  yet  these  millions,  given 
over  to  "  believe  a  lie,"  accept  it  all  without  a 
question. 

The  Buddhist  scriptures  are  divided  into  three 
main  divisions. 

The  first  is  addressed  to  the  priests,  and  con- 
tains rules  governing  their  life,  duties  and  habits. 
The  second  is  addressed  to  the  laity ;  the  third 
to  the  dewas  and  Brahmas  in  the  worlds  of  iiats. 

It  is  claimed  that  the  first  council  to  settle  the 
sacred  canon  was  held  in  the  year  543  b.  c,  in 
India  ;  that  the  law  was  rehearsed  from  memory, 
but  not  committed  to  writing ;  that  the  second 
council  was  held  in  443  b.  c,  when  the  law  was 
again  rehearsed,  but  not  committed  to  writing ; 
that  the  third  and  last  council,  held  in  241  b.  c, 
and  continuing  nine  months,  settled  many  ques- 
tions in  dispute  ;  and  furnished  the  stimulus  of  a 
great  Buddhist  missionary  enterprise.  Authori- 
ties differ  as  to  the  dates  of  these  councils.  Dr. 
Judson  held  that  the  Buddhist  scriptures  in  their 
present  form  were  not  completed  until  four  hun- 
dred and  fifty-eight  years  after  Gautama's  death. 

Were  it  possible  for  any  human  being  to  keep 
the  law  outlined  in  the  sacred  books  of  Bud- 
dhism, and  thereby  attain  to  its  goal,  Neikbmiy  it 


Buddhism  As  It  Is  145 

might  be  said  :  "The  gift  of  Gautama  is  eternal 
death."  How  different  from  the  central  truth  in 
the  Christian  religion  — 

"  The  gift  of  God  is  eternal  life."  To  make 
this  known  to  the  nations  that  sit  in  darkness, 
rests  as  a  privilege  and  responsibility  upon  the 
Christian  church. 


VI 

BURMA'S  OUTCASTS 

ADMIRERS  of  Buddhism  assert  its 
superiority  over  Hinduism  in  that  Bud- 
dhism has  no  caste  system.  In  all  ages 
and  in  all  lands  there  has  been,  in  real  life,  a 
sharp  social  distinction  between  the  rich  and  the 
poor.  This  is  inevitable,  so  long  as  unsanctified 
human  nature  holds  sway.  Burma  furnishes  no 
exception  to  the  rule.  But  while  Buddhist 
Burma  has  no  caste  system,  involving  con- 
tamination to  one  caste  by  contact  with  another ; 
or  social  degradation  by  departing  from  caste- 
rules, — Burma  has  her  outcasts. 

There  are  five  classes  of  outcasts,  namely: — 
former  pagoda-slaves  and  their  descendants  ;  the 
grave-diggers  ;  the  lepers  ;  the  beggars  ;  and  the 
deformed  or  maimed.  Apostates  from  the 
Ancestral  religion  might  be  added  as  a  sixth 
class.  Slavery  existed  in  Burma  before  the  intro- 
duction of  Buddhism.  When  the  pagoda  spires 
of  the  new  religion  began  to  multiply  through- 
out the  land  somebody  must  be  found  to  take 
care  of  the  pagoda-grounds.  Existing  slaves 
146 


Burma's    Outcasts  147 

were  not  available  for  that  purpose,  for  they  had 
been  apportioned  to  the  service  of  the  king,  and 
others  in  high  life.  Prisoners  taken  in  war;  life- 
convicts  ;  and  others  who  had  incurred  the  dis- 
pleasure of  the  king  were  drawn  upon  to  meet 
the  fresh  and  ever-increasing  demand.  Princely 
captives  and  their  followers  are  said  to  have  been 
condemned  to  lifelong  drudgery  as  pagoda 
slaves,  with  all  of  their  descendants  forever,  while 
the  world  should  last.  As  Pagan  was  the  first 
great  centre  of  Buddhism  in  Upper  Burma,  there 
it  was  that  this  form  of  slavery  originated. 

Buddhism  of  the  southern  type  was  taken  to 
Pagan  in  the  eleventh  century.  The  pagodas  of 
Thatone  were  duplicated.  One  after  another 
was  built,  until  an  area  eight  miles  long  by.  two 
miles  wide  along  the  river  was  literally  covered 
with  pagodas,  far  surpassing  any  city  in  the 
world  in  the  extent  of  its  religious  structures. 

Pagan  ceased  to  be  a  capital  in  the  fourteenth 
century,  and  its  wonderful  pagodas  and  temples 
were  left  to  go  to  ruin.  But  the  king's  decree  was 
perpetuated  in  all  other  important  centres,  until 
the  British  Indian  Government  annexed  the 
country,  and  put  an  end  to  compulsory  slavery. 
Besides  the  descendants  of  the  original  pagoda- 
slaves,  others  were  added  by  successive  kings, 
whether  as  punishment  for  crime,  or  by  arbitrary 
selection  of  obnoxious  villages  or  families.  Once 
a  slave  always  a  slave.     Posterity  was  doomed 


148  Among  the  Burmans 

before  it  was  born.  Not  only  was  there  no 
possible  release  from  this  inexorable  law,  but  the 
common  people  came  to  regard  the  pagoda- 
slaves  as  a  class  under  a  curse.  Terrible  sins  of 
a  former  existence  must  have  brought  this  great 
calamity  upon  them.  Their  touch  was  con- 
taminating. Shunned  and  spurned  at  every 
point  they  became  a  community  of  outcasts, 
living  by  themselves,  and  existing  on  such  offer- 
ings to  the  idols  as  could  be  rescued  from  the 
dogs  and  crows.  Under  British  rule  this 
form  of  slavery  has  nominally  ceased  to  exist. 
But  no  law  of  a  civilized  government  could  re- 
store the  pagoda-slave  or  his  descendants  to 
equal  social  standing  with  their  neighbours.  They 
are  outcasts  still,  and  outcasts  they  will  remain, 
until  Buddhism  is  no  more. 

CHmb  the  long  covered  stairway  leading  to  the 
Shwe  Dagon  pagoda,  or  other  of  the  more 
sacred  shrines,  you  will  find  your  path  lined 
with  sellers  of  offerings,  paper  "  prayers," 
candles,  and  other  things  used  at  pagoda-worship. 
These  sellers,  with  rare  exceptions,  are  de- 
scendants of  former  pagoda-slaves,  free  in  the  eye 
of  the  law,  but  in  slavery  still  to  the  unchangeable 
customs  of  Burman  Buddhists.  Other  Burmans 
will  not  employ  them,  even  to  perform  the  tasks 
of  the  common  Indian  coolie. 

Do  they  go  to  some  distant  place  where  they 
are  not  known,  and  there  attain  wealth  and  social 


Burma's    Outcasts  149 

position,  the  first  intimation  that  they  are  of  the 
old  pagoda-slave  stock  mercilessly  consigns  them 
again  to  their  former  condition  as  shunned 
outcasts. 

Companions  in  social  degradation  are  the 
"  Thu-bah-yah-zahs  "  or  grave-diggers.  Every 
Burman  burial  ground  has  its  little  community 
of  thu-bah-yah-zahs,  living  apart  from  their 
fellow-men.  Each  community  has  it  head-man, 
who  makes  the  bargain  when  a  grave  is  to  be 
dug. 

There  is  usually  a  fixed  price  for  this  work. 
But  when  a  grave  is  to  be  dug  for  one  who  has 
met  a  violent  death  the  price  is  gauged  by  the 
age  of  the  individual.  Violent  deaths  are  wind- 
falls to  the  grave-diggers. 

The  grave  is  filled  in  the  presence  of  the 
friends,  who  consider  it  a  mark  of  respect  to 
tarry  until  the  work  is  done.  But  it  is  well- 
known  that  the  grave-diggers  do  not  hesitate  to 
exhume  a  body  the  following  night  if  the  cloth- 
ing in  which  it  was  buried,  or  other  objects 
placed  in  the  coffin  makes  it  worth  the  trouble. 
The  coin  in  the  mouth  of  the  corpse,  for  the 
ferry-fare  over  the  mystic  river,  is  abstracted  with 
callous  indifference  to  the  future  state  of 
the  deceased. 

As  in  the  case  of  pagoda-slaves,  the  grave- 
diggers  were  devoted  to  this  degrading  service 
by  a  decree  of  the  king.     Some  say  that  de- 


ij'o  Among  the  Burmans 

scendants  of  pagoda-slaves  have  swelled  their 
numbers.  Beggars  and  lepers  are  permitted  to 
live  in  their  villages.  Misery  loves  company. 
Birds  of  a  feather  flock  together.  A  rich  thu- 
bah-yah-zah  in  Mandalay  had  an  attractive 
daughter.  Anxious  to  emancipate  her  from  the 
doom  of  her  class  he  offered  three  thousand 
rupees  (;^i,ooo)  to  any  respectable  man  who 
would  marry  her,  and  take  her  away  where  she 
would  not  be  known.  Ten  times  the  amount  of 
his  generous  offer  would  have  been  no  tempta- 
tion. There  is  also  a  distinct  beggar-class,  of 
practically  the  same  origin  as  the  pagoda-slave 
and  grave-diggers, — condemned  by  the  king  to 
a  life  of  beggary.  Forbidden  to  engage  in  any 
self-supporting  work,  they  could  be  drawn  upon 
at  any  time  to  fill  a  lack  in  either  of  the  other 
classes.  This  was  sometimes  for  suspected  dis- 
loyalty. Few  had  need  to  become  lifelong 
beggars  because  of  abject  poverty,  for  a  respect- 
able Burman,  though  poor,  is  able  to  exist  in  this 
fruitful  land  without  leaving  his  own  village. 
Neither  the  aged  nor  the  orphaned  are  driven 
out  to  beg  or  starve.  These  unfortunates  did  not 
become  beggars  because  they  were  outcasts,  but 
became  outcasts  because  they  were  made  beggars, 
not  of  choice,  but  by  royal  decree. 

True  to  his  creed,  the  Burman  then  heaped 
upon  the  victim  all  the  blame  for  his  calamity. 
He  is  only  reaping  in  this  life  what  he  sowed  in 


Burma's    Outcasts  151 

some  former  existence.  Therefore,  he  and  his 
descendants  forever  are  to  be  despised,  and  com- 
pelled to  remain  beggars,  whatever  their  actual 
condition.  Some  of  this  beggar  class  are  known 
to  have  become  wealthy,  but  wealth  secures  to 
them  no  social  standing.  Outcasts  they  are,  and 
outcasts  they  must  remain. 

It  has  become  a  deeply-rooted  suspicion 
among  these  people  themselves  that  unless  they 
go  out  and  beg  at  least  once  a  year,  some  disaster 
will  befall  them.  The  children  of  none  of  these 
outcast  classes  are  permitted  to  enter  the  mo- 
nastic or  other  schools. 

The  admission  of  one  child  of  outcast  parent- 
age, however  bright  and  respectable  he  may  be, 
would  stampede  any  school.  This  superstitious 
contempt  of  outcasts  is  so  deep-rooted  and  uni- 
versal that  managers  of  non-Buddhist  schools  do 
not  find  it  wise  to  ignore  it. 

Strange  to  say,  the  deformed  and  the  maimed 
are  held  in  abhorrence,  and  blamed  for  their  mis- 
fortune. The  disciples  asked — "  Who  sinned, 
this  man  or  his  parents,  that  he  should  be  born 
blind  ?  "  One  day  while  my  train  was  waiting 
at  a  station,  a  poor  woman,  armless  from  her 
birth,  came  by  the  open  window  of  my  compart- 
ment, and  stopped  for  alms.  When  she  had 
passed  out  of'  hearing,  I  said  to  a  heathen  Bur- 
man  standing  by,  "  How  pitiful !  "  Without  any 
show  of  compassion  he  unknowingly  repeated 


152  Among  the  Burmans 

the  old-time  question — "  Because  of  whose  sin 
was  she  born  in  that  condition  ?  "  That  she  was 
under  a  curse  he  had  no  doubt.  No  pity  is 
wasted  on  a  person  who  is  born  bhnd,  deformed, 
or  heir  to  loathsome  disease.  He  is  only  getting 
what  he  deserves,  in  this  life,  and  nothing  can  he 
hope  for  but  ages  in  one  of  the  lowest  hells  here- 
after. 

With  such  a  belief,  is  it  any  wonder  that  Bud- 
dhists never  found  asylums  or  hospitals,  or  at- 
tempt any  organized  system  of  relief  for  the 
unfortunate.  It  is  of  no  use  to  fight  against  Fate, 
— let  Fate  claim  her  own.  It  is  said  that  census 
enumerators  in  some  sections  did  not  consider 
old  men  and  women  worth  counting,  because 
they  were  past  work ;  priests  and  nuns,  because 
they  had  renounced  the  world ;  lunatics  and 
cripples,  because  they  were  below  the  level  of 
human  beings. 

So  great  is  the  dread  of  becoming  a  cripple 
that  a  Burman  would  sooner  die  than  have  a 
limb  amputated.  Better  to  die  respectably  than 
be  a  living  disgrace  to  himself  and  his  family. 
This  feeling  extends  even  to  post-mortem  exam- 
inations, as  dooming  one  to  some  lower  condition 
in  the  next  existence. 

Leprosy,  in  whatever  age  or  country,  seems 
the  most  pitiable  of  all  calamities.  "  And  the 
leper  in  whom  the  plague  is,  his  clothing  shall  be 
rent,  and  the  hair  of  his  head  shall  go  loose,  and 


Burma's    Outcasts  1 53 

he  shall  cover  his  upper  lip,  and  shall  cry,  Un- 
clean, unclean.  All  the  days  wherein  the  plague 
is  in  him  he  shall  be  unclean  :  he  is  unclean :  he 
shall  dwell  alone ;  without  the  camp  shall  his 
dwelling  be"  (Lev.  13  :  45,  46). 

Such  was  the  brand  put  upon  the  leper  and  his 
awful  affliction,  under  the  Mosaic  law.  The 
brand  never  has  been  removed,  nor  the  awfulness 
of  the  disease  abated.  In  Europe  this  scourge, 
introduced  by  warlike  campaigns,  and  reintro- 
duced by  subsequent  crusades,  through  isolation, 
segregation  of  sexes,  and  improved  sanitary 
methods,  has  been  nearly  exterminated.  In 
America  its  spread  is  prevented  by  the  same 
means. 

In  barbarian  or  semi-civilized  countries  no  at- 
tempt is  made  to  control  the  disease.  Such  was 
the  case  in  Burma,  under  Burman  rule,  and  still  is 
the  case  throughout  the  land,  outside  of  a  few 
municipalities  under  English  control.  Even  in 
the  larger  towns  the  rule  that  lepers  shall  go  to 
the  asylums,  or  dwell  "  without  the  camp  "  is  not 
rigidly  enforced.  The  leper  is  an  outcast,  so 
treated  by  his  own  race  even  more  than  by  Euro- 
peans, but  this  does  not  prevent  him  from  wan- 
dering at  will  through  the  crowded  streets  and 
bazars.  Rags  that  have  covered  his  repulsive 
sores  may  be  cast  away  where  men  traffic  and 
children  play.  They  are  permitted  to  marry 
among    themselves,    thereby   perpetuating    and 


154  Among  the  Burmans 

multiplying  the  terrible  disease.  The  latest 
census  gives  a  total  of  4,190  lepers  in  Burma 
alone.  Of  this  number  2,940  are  males,  1,250 
females.  This  does  not  include  the  large  number 
of  untainted  children  of  leprous  parents,  doomed 
to  become  lepers  later  in  life.  On  the  streets 
one  may  observe  leprosy  in  all  stages.  One 
shows  no  other  sign  than  swollen  feet,  and  may 
not  even  know  that  he  has  become  a  leper. 
Another  shows  unmistakable  signs  of  the  disease 
by  white,  red,  or  violet  patches  on  his  skin. 

Another  is  in  the  last  stage  of  the  disease. 
Where  once  were  feet  and  hands  are  only  stumps. 
Some  have  what  is  left  of  feet  and  hands  band- 
aged with  foul  rags.  Others,  whether  from  lack 
of  wherewith  to  bandage,  or  in  order  to  excite 
sympathy  and  almsgiving,  expose  their  repul- 
sive sores.  Passing  Buddhists  may  now  and 
then  toss  a  copper  into  the  tin-cup,  to  get  merit 
for  themselves, but  of  compassion  they  have  little 
or  none.  The  leper's  own  fate  or  ill-luck,  the 
outcome  of  evil  committed  in  past  existences, 
has  overtaken  him.  There  is  no  help  for  it. 
Why  trouble  about  it  ?  "  Whatsoever  a  man 
soweth,  that  shall  he  also  reap,"  is  a  tenet  of 
Buddhism,  as  well  as  of  Christianity,  but  with  no 
place  for  repentance  or  forgiveness.  Fortunately 
leprosy  is  not  infectious.  There  is  not  the 
slightest  danger  from  near  approach.  It  is  gen- 
erally believed  that  it  is  not  even  contagious,  like 


Burma's    Oi^casts  i  ^^ 

smallpox  or  scarlet  fever.  No  doubt  there  is 
danger  of  contracting  the  disease  by  inoculation. 
Some  claim  that  the  use  of  imperfectly  cured,  or 
putrid  fish  as  an  article  of  diet,  is  the  cause  of 
leprosy.  This  seems  reasonable,  but  there  is 
ample  evidence  that  it  is  not  the  only  cause. 
Both  cause  and  cure  still  furnish  fields  for  inves- 
tigation by  medical  science.  Of  the  4,190  lepers 
in  Burma  only  about  560  are  in  Leper  Homes. 

This  work  is  conducted  by  the  Wesleyan  and 
Roman  Catholic  missions  in  Mandalay,  the  Ran- 
goon municipality,  and  the  Baptist  mission  in 
Maulmein. 

Never  yet  have  the  Buddhists  of  Burma  lifted 
a  finger  to  alleviate  the  sufferings  of  their  out- 
casts. Whatever  desultory  and  trifling  almsgiv- 
ing as  has  been  indulged  in  has  been  prompted 
not  by  compassion  but  by  selfishness,  to  add  to 
the  giver's  own  store  of  merit.  This  is  Buddhism, 
in  both  theory  and  practice.  Buddhism  has  been 
extolled  as  a  religion  of  love  and  peace.  Its  love 
is  self-love ;  its  peace  self-conceit,  and  indifference 
to  the  sufferings  of  others.  But  Christian  mis- 
sionaries are  teaching  a  striking  object  lesson. 
While  proclaiming  the  love  of  God  in  Christ, 
they  are  exemplifying  their  teaching  by  putting 
forth  a  mighty  effort  to  relieve  these  unfortunates 
who  have  been  cast  off  by  their  own  people. 
English  officials  give  this  work  their  sympathy 
and  assistance.     The  number  to  share  the  bene- 


1 5*6  Among  the  Burmans 

fits  of  the  asylums  will  steadily  increase.  Hun- 
dreds of  lepers,  homeless,  friendless,  and  hopeless, 
waiting  and  longing  for  the  end,  wander  about  in 
all  the  towns  and  villages  of  the  land.  This 
wandering  habit  is  the  chief  obstacle  to  work 
among  them.  So  long  as  subsistence  can  be 
gained  by  begging,  many  prefer  change  of  scene 
to.  the  more  certain  comforts  of  the  Leper  Home. 
But  the  time  is  not  far  distant  when,  in  the  larger 
towns  at  least,  they  will  not  be  allowed  to  roam 
at  will. 

Work  for  the  lepers  appeals  to  the  hearts  of 
all  races,  in  all  Christian  lands.  Until  effective 
means  are  devised  to  check  the  propagation  of 
this  terrible  disease,  the  need  will  be  ever-increas- 
ing. 


VII 

A  NATION  IN  TRANSITION 

IN  nearly  all  non- Christian  lands  the  first  im- 
pressions of  western  civilization  have  come 
from  the  aggressions  of  commerce. 

The  minister  of  a  foreign  government  has  pre- 
ceded the  missionary  of  the  Cross. 

The  flag  of  a  foreign  nation  has  gone  in  ad- 
vance of  the  banner  of  Christianity. 

Both  political  and  commercial  relations  may 
have  been  forced  upon  the  people  of  the  weaker 
nation.  All  this  may  have  been  in  the  best  in- 
terests of  the  world  at  large  ;  probably  in  the  best 
interests  of  the  people  themselves,  however  slow 
they  have  been  to  realize  it. 

Were  Christian  nations  always  worthily  repre- 
sented commercial,  diplomatic,  and  evangelistic 
efforts  might  cooperate  for  the  uplifting  of  back- 
ward races.  In  the  initial  attempts  to  bring 
about  the  remolding  of  a  nation,  the  restraining 
influence  upon  the  natives,  as  exercised  by  the 
missionaries,  is  of  inestimable  importance.  Mis- 
sionaries in  turn,  need  protection  from  fanatical 
and  ignorant  natives,  so  easily  influenced  by  irre- 
sponsible characters,  to  desperate  deeds. 

New  colonies  invariably  become  a  dumping 
157 


158  Among  the  Burmans 

ground  for  adventurers.  Government  officials, 
"  transferred  for  cause,"  drift  farther  and  farther 
towards  the  frontier.  Because  of  a  scarcity  of 
trained  men  certain  positions  have  been  filled  by- 
persons  morally  unfit  to  represent  a  civilized 
people.  So  it  transpires  that  civil  law  sometimes 
becomes  civil  lawlessness,  which  men  in  higher 
positions  are  powerless  wholly  to  restrain.  But 
sweeping  charges  that  officials  of  whatever  nation, 
in  outlying  colonies,  are  "  profligate  and  tyran- 
nical "  do  gross  injustice  to  many  noble  men 
who  are  doing  their  utmost  for  the  advancement 
of  morality  and  justice.  Burma  has  suffered 
as  other  colonies  have  suffered.  But  there  is 
steady  progress  for  the  better.  The  various  de- 
partments of  government  are  becoming  more 
thoroughly  organized ;  competent  and  trust- 
worthy men  are  in  the  ascendant.  But  through- 
out the  period  since  the  annexation  of  Burma  by 
the  British  Indian  government — impressions  far 
from  complimentary  to  a  Christian  nation  have 
become  indelibly  fixed  in  the  native  mind. 

Vice  is  always  more  conspicuous  than  virtue. 
Unscrupulous  men  have  brought  reproach  upon 
a  Christian  nation ;  and  created  strong  prejudice 
against  Christianity  itself,  that  many  years  of 
good  government  and  evangelistic  effort  com- 
bined cannot  efface.  The  innocent  must  suffer 
suspicion  with  the  guilty.  It  is  also  true  that 
natives  are  naturally  suspicious  of  all  foreigners, 


The  Last  Kino  of  Bi  I!.ma 


A  Nation  in  Transition  159 

and  apt  to  regard  even  necessary  measures  as 
oppressive.  The  old  question  "  Is  it  lawful  to 
give  tribute  to  Caesar  ? "  crops  out  wherever 
tribute  is  exacted.  Every  son  of  Adam,  the 
world  over,  holds  the  tax  collector  in  contempt, 
and  will  evade  payment  if  possible.  "  Publicans 
and  sinners "  are  inseparably  wedded,  in  the 
popular  mind. 

This  deeply-grounded  prejudice,  whether  with 
or  without  cause,  constitutes  a  serious  hindrance 
to  the  progress  of  evangelistic  work. 

Often  the  missionary  must  spend  a  whole  day 
in  a  jungle  village  striving  to  win  the  confidence 
of  the  people,  who  are  slow  to  discriminate  be- 
tween the  missionary  and  the  official.  Suspicion 
as  to  his  character  and  errand  is  a  greater  hin- 
drance than  their  prejudice  against  Christianity 
as  such. 

At  the  same  time  there  is  reason  for  believing 
that  could  the  Burmans  throw  off  the  British 
yoke,  and  reestablish  a  kingdom  of  their  own, 
missionaries  would  not  be  permitted  to  propagate 
Christianity  at  all.  In  February,  1826,  Adoni- 
ram  Judson  and  Dr.  Price,  having  been  released 
from  their  long  imprisonment  at  Ava  and  Aung- 
binle,  were  finally  permitted  to  go  down  to  the 
British  camp,  Mrs.  Judson  accompanying  them. 
The  release  of  these  American  missionaries,  and 
the  recovery  of  their  property,  of  which  the 
Burman   officials    had  heartlessly  robbed  them, 


i6o  Among  the  Burmans 

were  due  entirely  to  special  efforts  in  their  behalf 
on  the  part  of  the  general  commanding  the 
British  troops.  Mrs.  Judson  thus  recounted 
their  experiences  :  "  We  now,  for  the  first  time, 
for  more  than  a  year  and  a  half,  felt  that  we  were 
free,  and  no  longer  subject  to  the  oppressive  yoke 
of  the  Burmans.  And  with  what  sensation  of 
delight,  on  the  next  morning,  did  I  behold 
the  masts  of  the  steamboat,  the  sure  presage  of 
being  within  the  bounds  of  civilized  life.  As 
soon  as  our  boat  reached  the  shore,  Brigadier 
A and  another  officer  came  on  board,  con- 
gratulated us  on  our  arrival,  and  invited  us  on 
board  the  steamboat  where  I  passed  the  remain- 
der of  the  day;  while  Mr.  Judson  went  on  to 
meet  the  general,  who,  with  a  detachment  of  the 
army,  had  encamped  at  Yandaboo,  a  few  miles 
further  down  the  river.  Mr.  Judson  returned  in 
the  evening  with  an  invitation  from  Sir  Archi- 
bald to  come  immediately  to  his  quarters,  where 
I  was  the  next  morning  introduced,  and  received 
with  the  greatest  kindness  by  the  general,  who 
had  a  tent  pitched  for  us  near  his  own,  took  us 
to  his  own  table,  and  treated  us  with  the  kind- 
ness of  a  father,  rather  than  as  strangers  of 
another  country.  We  feel  that  our  obligations 
to  General  Campbell  can  never  be  cancelled. 
Our  final  release  from  Ava,  and  our  recovering 
all  the  property  that  had  there  been  taken,  was 
owing  entirely  to  his  efforts. 


A  Nation  in  Transition  l6l 

"  His  subsequent  hospitality,  and  kind  atten- 
tion to  the  accommodation  for  our  passage  to 
Rangoon,  have  left  an  impression  on  our  minds, 
which  can  never  be  effaced.  We  daily  received  the 
congratulations  of  the  British  officers,  whose  con- 
duct towards  us  formed  a  striking  contrast  to  that  of 
the  Burmese.  I  presume  to  say  that  no  persons  on 
earth  were  ever  happier  than  we  were  during 
the  fortnight  we  passed  at  the  English  camp. 
For  several  days  this  single  idea  wholly  occupied 
my  mind, — that  we  were  out  of  the  power  of 
the  Burmese  government,  and  once  more  under 
the  protection  of  the  English  "  (Memoir  of  Rev. 
Dr.  Judson,  by  Wayland). 

Such  testimony  as  this  is  enough  to  arouse  a 
sense  of  everlasting  gratitude  in  the  heart  of 
every  missionary  whose  privilege  it  is  to  conduct 
mission  work  under  the  protection  of  the  British 
flag.  Happily  there  has  never  been  another  oc- 
casion in  the  history  of  Burma  missions  to  ex- 
tend such  kindnesses  as  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Judson 
enjoyed  at  the  hands  of  these  English  officers. 
But  missionaries  of  all  societies  represented  in 
Burma  have  always  been  able  to  number  among 
their  best  friends  noble  men  in  some  department 
of  government  service,  civil  or  military. 

Transitions  are  more  readily  effected  in  gov- 
ernment than  in  religion.  The  "  Powers  that 
be,"  though  recently  come  into  their  possessions, 
speak    authoritatively.     "  Might    makes    right," 


l62  Among  the  Bur  mans 

and  compels  changes.  A  foreign  religion  speaks 
persuasively,  having  no  authority,  and  desiring 
none,  to  compel  its  acceptance.  When  a  foreign 
religion  enters  ground  already  preempted  by 
twenty-five  centuries  of  such  a  strongly  organ- 
ized religion  as  Buddhism,  transitions  may  also 
be  reckoned  by  centuries.  The  world  may  wit- 
ness the  evangelization  of  Burma  "  in  this  genera- 
tion," but  it  cannot  recall  the  three  generations 
of  Burmans  that  have  gone  out  in  the  dark 
since  Judson  began  his  work  in  this  land. 

"  Their  idols  are  silver  and  gold,  the  work  of 
men's  hands." — "  They  that  make  them  are  like 
unto  them  :  so  every  one  that  trusteth  in  them." 
The  image  of  Gautama  Buddha  bears  on  its  face 
an  expression,  or  rather  lack  of  expression  in- 
tended to  represent  that,  to  him,  change  was  for- 
ever past.  The  idol  as  truly  represents  Buddhism 
as  it  does  the  founder  of  Buddhism.  There  is  no 
word  in  the  Burman  language  of  wider  applica- 
tion than  the  word  for  "  custom."  On  that  word 
the  Buddhist  falls  back  for  justification  of  every 
act,  as  sufficient  reason  for  non-action,  as  a  chncher 
to  every  argument.  He  attaches  greater  weight 
to  ancestral  custom  than  to  the  teachings  of  his 
"  law  "  or  to  the  dictates  of  his  own  judgment. 
When  defeated  at  every  point,  in  religious  con- 
troversy he  has  been  known  to  say,  "  If  what 
you  say  is  true,  then  my  ancestors  have  gone  to 
hell.     I   want  to  go  wherever  they  have  gone. 


A  Nation  in  Transition  163 

If  they  have  gone  to  hell,  I  want  to  go  there  too." 
Aged  Buddhists  have  said  :  "  Our  children  may 
become  Christians,  but  we  are  too  old  to  change. 
We  will  die  in  Buddhism,  as  we  have  lived." 
They  are  "  Hke  unto  "  their  idols  in  that  they 
seem  to  have  no  power  to  change.  Having 
"  changed  the  glory  of  the  incorruptible  God  for 
the  likeness  of  corruptible  man  "  ;  "  Exchanged 
the  truth  of  God  for  a  lie,  and  worshipped  and 
served  the  creature  (Gautama)  rather  than  the 
creator,"  and  "  Refused  to  have  God  in  their 
knowledge,"  they  seem  to  have  been  given  up  to 
a  "  reprobate  mind."  They  now  declare  that 
there  is  no  God.  If  there  is  no  God  there  can  be 
no  sin  against  God.  Sins  are  against  self  only,  in 
that  they  involve  penalty.  But  penalty  may  be 
counter-balanced  by  meritorious  works.  There- 
fore all  responsibility  to  God  or  man  is  repudi- 
ated. Each  man  must  be  his  own  saviour.  His 
meritorious  works  are  solely  for  his  own  advan- 
tage. 

Self-centred,  and  self-sufficient, — the  Christian 
doctrines  of  an  Eternal  God,  atonement,  pardon, 
regeneration  and  heaven  are  rejected  as  idle 
tales  concerning  things  which  they  consider 
neither  necessary  nor  desirable.  The  Apostles, 
or  missionaries  (sent-forth-ones)  of  the  early 
church  found  that  the  Gentiles  received  the  gos- 
pel much  more  readily  than  the  Jews.  The  lat- 
ter were  steeped  in  bigotry,  and  imagined  them- 


164  Among  the  Burmans 

selves  a  superior  and  specially  favoured  people. 
They  were  priest-ridden,  and  led  astray  by  the 
"  traditions  of  the  elders."  Any  suggestion  of 
change  was  deeply  resented,  especially  by  the 
religious  teachers.  History  repeats  itself  in 
Burma.  Non-Buddhist  tribes  receive  the  gospel 
far  more  readily  than  the  Buddhist.  Buddhists 
manifest  the  same  Jewish  spirit  of  haughty  pride 
and  arrogant  bigotry.  They  are  priest-ridden, 
and  bound  down  by  teachings  and  customs  never 
dreamed  of  by  the  founder  of  their  religious  sys- 
tem. Pharisees  decreed  that  if  any  man  should 
confess  Jesus  to  be  the  Christ,  he  should  be  put 
out  of  the  synagogue.  Where  there  were  no 
Pharisees  to  agitate  against  the  Christian  mis- 
sionaries the  common  people  heard  them  gladly. 
While  the  Karens,  as  a  nation,  have  already 
passed  the  transitional  stage,  the  Burmans  are 
still  held  back  by  their  pharisaical  priests,  who 
never  lack  willing  instruments  for  the  execution 
of  their  malice  against  converts  to  Christianity. 
But  in  communities  where  there  are  no  priests  to 
hold  the  people  in  awe,  native  evangelists  have 
little  difficulty  in  securing  a  good  hearing.  This 
indicates  the  real  spirit  of  the  people  when  un- 
trammelled by  intimidating  influences.  Human 
nature  is  much  the  same  the  world  over.  En- 
vironment and  inherited  custom  make  men  to 
differ.  Results  already  achieved  (to  be  discussed 
in  another  chapter)  show  that  Burma  is  in  a  state 


« 


A  Nation  in  Transition  165 

of  transition    religiously  as    well  as  politically, 
though  less  conspicuously. 

The  sure  promise  of  God  that  Christ  shall 
have  the  nations  for  His  inheritance ;  the  utter- 
most parts  of  the  earth  for  His  possessions,  has 
here  substantial  beginnings  of  fulfillment.  Uhl- 
horn  said  of  the  Roman  Empire  in  transition : 
"  The  most  mighty  of  forces  cannot  change  in  a 
day  the  customs  and  institutions  of  an  Empire 
more  than  a  thousand  years  old."  In  Burma 
these  forces  are  arrayed  against  customs  and  in- 
stitutions that  have  developed  during  a  period  of 
twenty-five  hundred  years.  Change  of  govern- 
ment effects  outward  changes  in  the  life  of  a  peo- 
ple; but  more  than  mere  change  of  government 
is  required  to  work  changes  for  the  better  in  the 
soul  of  a  people.  Aping  European  customs  may 
give  an  air  of  increased  respectability,  but  the 
aping  of  European  vices,  always  first  in  order, 
makes  the  man  "  Tenfold  more  a  child  of  hell " 
than  before.  Much  is  expected  from  the  govern- 
ment system  of  education.  Education  will  fur- 
nish a  supply  of  petty  officials  ;  raise  the  people 
to  some  extent,  from  their  gross  ignorance ;  and 
possibly  do  something  towards  undermining  Bud- 
dhism,— though  to  undermine  Buddhism  is  far 
from  being  the  purpose  or  desire  of  the  British 
Indian  government.  But  something  more  than 
education  is  required  to  prepare  a  nation  to  be  an 
inheritance  of  the  King  of  Kings.     The  gospel. 


l66  Among  the  Burmans 

and  only  the  gospel  is  the  power  of  God  unto  the 
salvation  of  any  nation. 

In  industry,  skill,  statesmanship,  and  all  the 
qualities  that  go  to  make  up  a  strong  people,  the 
Burmans  are  sadly  lacking.  To  come  to  the 
front  rank  of  progress,  as  the  Japanese  have  done, 
is  not  in  them,  and  never  will  be.  But  as  a  de- 
pendent nation,  restrained  by  their  conquerors 
from  the  almost  continual  warfare  which  marks 
their  history ;  and  transformed  by  the  leavening 
influences  of  Christianity,  they  may  yet  take  the 
front  rank  among  Asiatic  races  as  a  Christian 
people. 


VIII 

*'BY  ALL  MEANS— SAVE  SOME" 

IN  face  of  the  fact  that  whole  nations  lie  in 
the  darkness  of  heathenism  ;  bound  down  by 
ancestral  customs  ;  priest-ridden  ;  wedded  to 
their  idols ; — what  seeming  folly  for  a  handful 
of  missionaries  to  attempt  the  world's  evangeliza- 
tion. How  futile  the  task  of  breaking  down  the 
strongholds  of  heathen  religions  that  have  stood 
for  centuries.  So  they  sneered  at  Carey  the 
cobbler.  So  they  tried  to  discourage  Judson. 
A  ship's  captain  once  asked  an  out-going  mis- 
sionary to  China : 

"  Do  you  think  you  can  make  any  impression 
on  the  four  hundred  millions  of  China?" 
"  No,"  said  the  missionary.     "  But  God  can." 

A  coloured  preacher  discoursing  on  faith,  and 
warming  to  his  subject  said,  "  If  God  tole  me  to 
jump  froo  dat  wall,  Vdjiimp.  De  jumpin'/w(? 
belongs  to  God.  De  jumpin'  at  it  belongs  to 
me."  God  certainly  has  commanded  His  people 
to  "jump"  through  the  wall  of  heathenism. 
The  command  is  clear,  emphatic,  and  large  with 
divine  intensity,  and  promise  of  power  and 
triumph. 

167 


l68  Among  the  Burmans 

Nothing  was  said  as  to  methods  to  be  em- 
ployed in  making  disciples.  There  are  many 
ways  of  proclaiming  the  gospel.  It  may  fairly 
be  inferred  that  any  or  all  effective  methods  may 
be  employed ;  and  that  methods  may  vary  ac- 
cording to  varying  circumstances,  in  order  "  by 
all  means  to  save  some." 

There  is  danger  of  too  narrow  an  interpreta- 
tion of  instructions.  As  an  illustration,  take  the 
case  of  Paul,  who  "  determined  to  know  noth- 
ing "  among  the  Corinthian  Christians  "  save 
Jesus  Christ  and  Him  crucified."  But  in  elabo- 
rating his  theme  he  found  occasion  to  discuss 
social  purity,  matrimony,  divorce,  celibacy,  ap- 
parel for  the  sexes,  the  place  of  woman  in 
public  gatherings,  as  well  as  church  discipline  and 
collections.  Whatever  instruction  was  needed 
for  the  moral  and  spiritual  development  of 
the  individual  had  a  direct  bearing  upon  his 
central  theme.  Such  instruction  could  not  be 
omitted  without  dwarfing  the  benefits  of  Christ's 
sacrifice.  In  God's  plan  for  the  evangelization 
of  the  world  "  The  foolishness  of  the  preaching  " 
is  to  "  save  them  that  believe  "  ;  "  Christ  cruci- 
fied "  furnishing  both  the  theme  and  the  power. 
All  other  plans  have  failed.  But  this  theme  may 
be  proclaimed  in  many  ways  ; — by  the  evangelist, 
as  he  goes  from  village  to  village ;  by  the  pastor 
from  the  pulpit ;  by  the  teacher  in  the  daily 
Bible-study  of  the  school ;  by  the  medical  mis- 


"By  All  Means — Save  Some"     169 

sionary,  whose  ministrations  of  mercy  are  ser- 
mons in  themselves ;  by  the  holy  hfe  of  mission- 
ary and  disciple ;  even  by  the  Christian  chapel, 
standing  in  a  heathen  community  as  a  silent  yet 
significant  witness  for  Christ.  All  of  these 
forces,  and  others  are  being  used  of  God  in  the 
redemption  of  Burma. 

"  Direct  evangelization,"  or  the  proclamation 
of  the  gospel-message  from  village  to  village, 
throughout  the  large  district  to  which  a  mis- 
sionary has  been  assigned,  is  the  predominating 
method. 

Our  first  experience  in  this  line  came  when  we 
had  been  but  a  few  months  in  Burma.  A  mes- 
senger from  a  village  twenty-three  miles  away 
came  to  inform  us  that  two  young  men  wanted 
to  be  baptized.  Having  already  made  plans  to 
visit  that  village  we  prepared  at  once  to  respond 
to  the  summons.  When  a  Burman  wishes  to  be 
baptized  in  the  presence  of  the  heathen  people 
of  his  own  village,  it  is  taken  as  evidence  that 
the  Holy  Spirit  is  working  in  his  heart.  Such 
opportunities  must  not  be  neglected. 

First  we  must  summon  our  forces.  U  Po 
Hlaing  must  go,  because  this  is  the  village  in 
which  he  used  to  live,  and  these  converts  are 
fruits  of  his  labours.  Ko  Thaleh  must  go,  be- 
cause he  has  had  much  experience  in  examining 
candidates,  and  his  judgment  can  be  trusted. 
Maung  Ka  must  go,  because  he  is  young,  full  of 


iyo  Among  the  Burmans 

fire,  and  will  not  cease  to  preach  the  gospel, 
whatever  the  circumstances.  But  it  is  not  easy 
to  secure  an  audience  in  the  heathen  village,  un- 
less there  is  some  special  attraction.  "  Music 
hath  charms "  to  draw  the  people  from  their 
homes,  and  hold  them  until  the  preachers  have 
done  their  work.  "  Mama"  is  going,  with  the 
portable  organ,  and  some  of  the  Christian  girls 
to  sing,  insuring  success  though  other  methods 
fail.  After  going  seventeen  miles  by  rail  we  still 
had  six  miles  to  make  by  ox-cart.  The  delight 
of  an  ox-cart  ride  over  rough  jungle  roads 
beggars  description. 

The  driver  sits  on  the  projecting  front,  guiding 
the  animals,  or  pretending  to,  by  means  of  a  rope 
passed  through  their  noses. 

Just  as  we  are  about  to  sit  down  the  oxen 
start.  We  save  ourselves  by  clutching  at  some- 
body else.  A  desire  to  say  something  emphatic 
to  the  driver  is  overcome  by  inability  to  speak 
his  language,  and  a  feeling  of  thankfulness  that 
we  are  still  on  deck.  The  road  is  conspicuous  by 
its  absence, — but  that  does  not  matter.  All  the 
driver  wants  is  to  get  his  bearings,  then  off  he 
goes  across  sun-baked  rice-fields,  and  through 
the  jungle.  By  instinct  he  knows  that  a  straight 
line  is  the  shortest  distance  between  two  points, 
and  he  keeps  to  that  line  without  regard  to 
obstructions  or  our  feelings.  At  last  we  reach 
the   river,  and   see   on   the   opposite   bank  the 


"By  All  Means — Save  Some"     171 

thatch-roofed  houses  of  the  village.  The  preach- 
ers shout  to  the  villagers,  and  soon  two  boats  are 
poled  across  to  take  us  over.  Our  boat  is  a  long 
narrow  dug-out,  our  boatman  a  chubby  Burmese 
girl.  We  are  in  momentary  expectation  of  being 
dumped  into  the  river ;  but  happily  our  expecta- 
tions are  not  realized.  Chubby  enjoys  it  im- 
mensely, and  seems  proud  when  she  has  landed 
us  safely.  Landing  means  that  the  dug-out  has 
stuck  in  the  mud,  twenty  feet  from  shore.  The 
natives  could  wade,  and  so  could  we,  but  we  did 
not  like  to,  through  all  that  mud.  A  brawny 
bare-backed  Burman  soon  solved  the  problem 
by  taking  "  Mama  "  in  his  arms  and  carrying  her 
to  the  shore,  returning  to  take  the  "  Sayah  "  on 
pick-a-pack. 

We  were  piloted  to  a  house  at  the  farther  end 
of  the  village.  Ascending  by  a  short  ladder  to 
the  open  veranda  we  were  glad  to  stretch  out  on 
the  split-bamboo  floor  for  a  little  rest.  After  we 
had  eaten  supper,  and  the  men  and  women  had 
returned  from  their  work  in  the  rice-fields,  the 
portable  organ  was  placed  in  position.  In  re- 
sponse to  its  tones,  sounds  never  heard  before  in 
that  village,  men,  women,  and  children  came 
from  all  directions.  Some  sat  around  on  the 
ground,  others  climbed  the  ladder  and  filled  all 
available  space.  The  preachers  did  their  best  to 
make  known  the  "  Glad  Tidings."  Whenever 
the  audience  showed  signs  of  thinning  out,  the 


lyl  Among  the  Burmans 

organ  would  send  forth  another  appeal,  restoring 
numbers  and  interest.  Sankey's  songs,  trans- 
lated into  Burmese,  were  sung  with  vigour  by 
the  schoolgirls.  The  "  Old,  Old  Story  "  seemed 
to  take  new  meaning  when  sung  to  the  heathen 
by  some  of  their  own  people  who  had  learned  to 
love  it  and  live  by  it.  During  the  following  day, 
while  the  people  were  busy  at  their  work,  our 
attention  was  given  to  the  children. 

A  dozen  or  so,  drawn  by  curiosity,  had  col- 
lected about  the  house. 

Some  were  half  clad,  others  wjih  no  protection 
whatever,  save  a  string  around  the  neck,  with  one 
large  bead  attached. 

All  were  very  dirty,  and  as  shy  as  rabbits. 
After  winning  their  confidence  a  picture  card 
was  given  to  each,  with  instructions  to  go  and 
bring  other  children. 

It  was  interesting  to  see  them  scatter  through 
the  village  to  do  their  first  missionary  work. 
Few  in  the  home-land  realize  how  helpful  to  the 
missionary  are  the  bright  coloured  advertising 
cards.  Wild  children  in  jungle  villages  are  won 
by  these  pictures.  Attendance  at  Sunday-school 
in  town  may  be  doubled  by  their  use.  But  these 
native  children  want  something  more  than  bright 
colours.  Strange  to  say  that  although  fond  of 
flowers  for  personal  adornment,  they  will  give 
only  a  passing  glance  at  the  showiest  picture  of 
flowers;    while    a   picture   of    a   person, — man. 


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■IHmiKK'.'             '  .'-^^m^jam 

How   Wk  Tii.wi.i,   I'.v   Cai!T   .\m>  Boat 


"By  All  Means — Save  Some"     173 

woman,  or  child,  of  any  race, — if  in  bright 
attire,  is  eagerly  seized.  A  darky  boy  riding  a 
spool  of  Coat's  thread  is  more  effective  than  a 
dull  Sunday-school  card  for  evangelizing  pur- 
poses.    Bushels  of  such  cards  might  be  utilized. 

Late  that  afternoon  the  council  came  together 
to  examine  the  candidates  for  baptism.  Sitting 
around  on  the  floor  in  all  sorts  of  positions  they 
formed  a  strange  looking  group,  yet  as  sincere 
and  earnest  as  a  similar  council  in  the  home- 
land. 

The  examination  was  declared  satisfactory,  so 
after  prayer  we  all  started  for  the  river,  followed 
by  nearly  the  whole  village,  curious  to  witness  a 
Christian  baptism, — the  strange  magic  rite  of 
initiation  into  the  foreign  religion.  This  is 
always  a  grand  opportunity  to  preach  Christ. 
Rather  than  lose  the  baptism  they  will  remain 
and  listen  as  they  would  not  at  other  times.  So 
long  as  the  missionary  remains  in  their  village 
they  will  not  show,  by  word  or  sign,  that  they 
are  not  in  sympathy  with  these  proceedings. 
The  new  converts,  who  have  had  the  courage  of 
their  convictions,  will  be  made  to  realize  to  their 
sorrow  the  real  mind  of  the  people.  On  the 
way  to  this  village  we  met  a  squad  of  Burmans, 
accompanied  by  a  native  policeman.  One  of 
the  men  was  carrying  a  parcel  wrapped  in 
plantain  leaves.  Interested  to  know  what  was 
in   the  parcel,  that   it  should  require  a  police 


174  Among  the  Burmans 

escort,  what  was  our  surprise  to  learn  that  it  con- 
tained a  dacoit's  head  !  Bands  of  dacoits  had 
been  giving  a  great  deal  of  trouble.  Several  of 
their  leaders  were  still  at  large.  More  regular 
methods  having  failed  to  secure  their  capture,  the 
British  Indian  government  offered  tempting  re- 
wards for  their  heads.  Two  men  living  in  the 
village  to  which  we  were  going,  surprised  one  of 
these  dacoit  leaders  in  a  jungle  path,  and  think- 
ing that  his  head  would  be  worth  more  to  them 
than  it  ever  would  be  to  him,  they  struck  it  off 
with  their  dahs.  The  head  was  taken  to  the 
court,  where  it  was  identified,  and  the  reward 
recovered. 

Continuing  our  tour,  we  halted  one  morning 
at  about  ten  o'clock  for  breakfast.  Our  preachers 
had  told  us  what  a  wicked  village  this  was,  how  the 
people  had  driven  them  out  every  time  they  had 
attempted  to  preach  or  distribute  tracts  ;  and  that 
only  a  little  while  before  our  visit  they  had 
beaten  the  wife  of  one  ol  the  preachers  because 
she  spoke  of  Christ  while  resting  by  the  way. 
But  this  time  there  was  no  danger  of  violence, 
for  the  presence  of  one  white  man  is  sufificient 
security  against  serious  molestation.  So  each 
preacher  armed  himself  with  a  handful  of  tracts, 
and  started  out  to  work  the  village,  and  advertise 
our  coming.  Then  "  Mama  "  opened  the  portable 
organ  there  in  the  open  air,  and  played  a  i^v^ 
tunes.     Soon    quite   a   number    of  women  and 


"By  All  Means — Save  Some"      175 

children  were  attracted  by  the  sound.  After 
throwing  out  this  bait,  we  paused  for  breakfast, 
for  we  were  hungry,  hot,  and  tired,  having  been 
traveUing  since  the  first  signs  of  morning  Ught. 
The  people  were  told  to  come  again  about  noon, 
and  bring  others  with  them.  The  news  that  the 
white  teachers  had  come,  that  one  was  a  white 
woman,  and  played  on  a  wonderful  music-box, 
such  as  they  never  had  seen  before,  went  like 
wild-fire  through  the  village. 

The  building  in  which  we  hoped  to  have  our 
meeting  was  set  up  on  posts  several  feet  from  the 
ground,  according  to  the  custom.  The  door  was 
reached  by  means  of  a  ladder.  How  to  get  the 
people  up  into  the  house  was  the  question  that 
we  must  solve.  We  placed  the  organ  well  to  the 
back  side  of  the  one  large  room,  and  posted  the 
native  helpers  as  to  our  purposes.  At  the  ap- 
pointed time  the  people  began  to  come, — men, 
stripped  to  the  waist  as  they  came  from  their 
work ;  women  smoking  huge  cheroots,  with 
babies  astride  their  hips ;  children  of  all  sizes, 
some  clothed,  some  naked.  The  missionary's 
wife  took  her  place  at  the  organ  and  played 
away,  tune  after  tune,  everything  she  could  think 
of,  from  "  Old  Hundred  "  to  "  Gloria  in  Excelsis," 
and  repeated  the  most  of  them.  Everything 
depended  upon  the  drawing  power  of  the  music. 
The  preachers  and  Christian  girls, — some  up  in 
the  house,  others  down  in  the  yard, — coaxed  and 


176  Among  the  Burmans 

urged  the  people  up  the  ladder  until  we  had 
filled  the  house.  Up  to  this  time  I  had  kept 
well  in  the  background  on  account  of  the  more 
timid.  My  object  accomplished,  I  now  climbed 
up  the  ladder  and  seated  myself  in  the  door, — 
the  only  door  there  was.  With  back  against  one 
door-jamb,  and  knees  against  the  other,  I  was  the 
gladdest  man  on  earth.  We  had  trapped  nearly 
the  whole  village !  Fully  seventy-five  people 
who  had  persistently  refused  to  listen  to  the 
gospel  were  penned  in  with  the  preachers.  To 
crowd  out  over  a  white  man,  even  had  they 
dared  to  attempt  it,  would  have  been  too  great 
a  breach  of  Burman  etiquette.  At  a  given  signal 
the  music  stopped,  and  one  of  the  preachers 
addressed  the  people.  He  was  the  very  man 
whose  wife  had  recently  been  beaten.  He  began 
by  telling  them  how  he  had  wanted  for  a  long 
time  to  tell  them  about  this  new  religion,  but 
never  had  been  permitted  to  do  so.  He  re- 
minded them  of  their  action  in  beating  his  wife. 
"  But,"  said  he,  "  I  have  no  hard  feelings  against 
you.  This  new  religion  is  a  religion  of  love. 
Its  sacred  book  tells  us  that '  God  is  love,'  and 
that  He  *  So  loved  the  world  that  He  gave  His 
only  begotten  Son,  that  whosoever  believeth  on 
Him  should  not  perish,  but  have  eternal  life.' " 
Then  for  about  ten  minutes,  with  wonderful  tact 
and  earnestness,  he  proclaimed  Christ  as  the 
world's  Saviour.     After  a  tune  on  the  organ,  to 


"By  All  Means — Save  Some"     177 

keep  the  people  interested  and  expectant,  another 
preacher  gave  his  message.  Another  tune,  and 
then  the  third  preacher  emphasized  what  the 
others  had  spoken.  For  three-quarters  of  an 
hour  these  people,  entrapped  by  strategy,  listened 
to  the  gospel  at  short  range,  and  were  interested 
in  spite  of  themselves.  But  two  men  who  were 
specially  bitter  against  the  name  of  Christ, 
climbed  out  through  a  window  and  dropped  to 
the  ground. 

In  the  outskirts  of  that  village  we  found  an 
aged  couple  who  professed  to  be  followers  of 
Christ.  They  had  heard  the  gospel  elsewhere, 
and  with  what  light  they  had,  believed.  The 
villages  had  utterly  cut  them  off,  refusing  to  sell 
to  them,  buy  from  them,  or  even  allow  them  to 
draw  water  from  the  village  well.  But  these  old 
people  had  found  the  "  Water  of  life."  In  their 
hearts  shone  all  the  light  there  was  in  that 
terribly  benighted  village.  Both  of  them  died  in 
the  faith  a  few  years  later.  Many  of  the  Karens 
have  come  down  from  the  mountains  and  started 
villages  of  their  own  in  the  plains.  Until  the 
English  had  thoroughly  subdued  the  country  this 
was  not  possible,  as  the  Karens  were  terribly 
oppressed  by  the  Burmans.  On  one  of  our 
jungle  tours  we  came  across  one  of  these  Karen 
villages.  Nearly  all  the  men  understood  col- 
loquial Burmese.  They  received  the  missionary 
party  with  great  kindness,  and  eagerly  listened  to 


lyS  Among  the  Burmans 

the  gospel,  which  they  had  not  heard  before. 
The  fifteen  houses  comprising  the  village  were 
built  at  regular  intervals  around  the  outer  edge 
of  the  small  clearing  they  made  in  the  forest. 

In  the  open  space  the  Karens  were  seated  in  a 
semicircle  on  the  ground,  with  the  missionary 
and  native  preachers  in  front. 

We  were  about  to  sow  precious  seed  in  virgin 
soil.  Not  a  soul  had  ever  heard  of  Christ  be- 
fore. The  story  must  begin  at  the  beginning, — 
the  Eternal  God ;  the  creation ;  the  fall ;  the 
revelation  of  God  in  Jesus  Christ — the  Saviour 
of  the  world.  As  he  went  on  to  tell  of  Christ's 
majesty  and  holiness,  of  His  wonderful  words  and 
works  I  was  deeply  stirred.  Suddenly  the  face 
of  the  head-man  lighted  up,  and  with  a  twinkle 
in  his  eye  he  interrupted  the  preacher.  Pointing 
to  me  he  said  :  "  Is  this  your  Christ  ?  "  For  a 
moment  his  question  seemed  merely  ridiculous. 
But  as  the  preacher  continued  his  good  work, 
my  mind  was  busy  with  this  heathen  Karen's 
mistake.  When  it  dawned  upon  me  that  he  had 
actually  mistaken  me  for  Christ,  I  never  was  so 
overwhelmed  in  all  my  life.  And  yet,  I  thought, 
is  it  such  a  mistake  ?  True,  the  God-man  was  in- 
finitely superior  to  any  human  being.  But  the 
missionary  represents,  for  the  time,  all  that  these 
people  can  know  of  Christ.  They  must  see  ex- 
emplified in  me  the  principles  of  Christianity,  and 
the  spirit  of  its  Founder.    They  must  see  His  holi- 


"By  All  Means — Save  Some"     179 

ness  reproduced  in  my  daily  life.  As  He,  when 
tried  at  all  points,  was  without  sin ;  when  reviled, 
reviled  not  again  ;  emerging  calm  and  triumphant 
from  every  distracting  storm,  so  I  must  manifest 
the  Master's  spirit,  and  by  His  help  preserve  self- 
control  under  the  most  trying  circumstances. 
They  must  see  Christ  truly  represented  in  my 
life  until  they  can  look  beyond,  to  Him  who  is 
the  "  Author  and  perfecter  of  our  faith."  That 
was  a  high  standard  set  for  me  by  that  poor 
heathen  Karen,  but  it  has  proved  more  helpful  to 
me  than  anything  in  all  my  Christian  experience. 
It  stimulated  me  to  strive  the  harder  to  be  able 
to  say  to  my  people  "  Be  ye  imitators  of  me,  as 
I  also  am  of  Christ." 

The  Burman  race  has  the  reputation  of  being 
thriftless  and  lazy.  Many  have  prophesied  that 
the  "  Burman  must  go  to  the  wall "  before  the 
encroachments  of  natives  of  India,  Chinese,  and 
Karens.  As  seen  in  the  chief  towns  the  Bur- 
man has  fairly  earned  such  a  reputation. 

If  he  has  government  employment,  even  a 
petty  clerkship,  he  is  good  for  nothing  else. 
Many  are  "  birds  of  the  night " — gamblers — and 
loafers  by  day. 

The  average  citizen  spends  the  most  of  his 
time  in  indolence,  supported  by  his  more  enter- 
prising wife. 

But  in  the  jungle  villages  we  find  a  very  dif- 
ferent state  of  affairs.     Few  men  are  found  in 


l8o  Among  the  Burmans 

the  village  in  the  daytime.  To  prepare  their 
land,  plant,  harvest,  thresh,  and  market  the  crop 
of  rice,  requires  diligent  work  almost  the  whole 
year  round.  I  have  almost  regretted  their  dili- 
gence sometimes,  when  compelled  to  spend  a  day 
in  almost  idleness  waiting  for  the  men  to  return 
from  their  fields  at  sunset.  Then  an  hour  or  so 
passes  while  they  are  getting  their  evening  meal. 
By  this  time  it  is  pitch  dark,  if  there  is  no  moon. 
There  is  not  a  lamp  in  the  whole  village. 
Ordinary  methods  will  not  attract  tired  men 
from  their  homes.  There  is  no  time  for  house- 
to-house  preaching.  But  the  Gospel  must  be 
preached.  If  we  cannot  reach  them  by  day  we 
must  reach  them  by  night.  In  the  home-land  a 
magic-lantern  service  is  resorted  to  now  and  then, 
as  a  special  attraction.  We  have  come  prepared 
to  do  the  same  in  the  jungle  villages.  Early  in 
the  day  we  clean  up  a  spot  in  the  centre  of  the 
village,  and  stretch  our  large  white  curtain 
between  two  trees,  or  support  it  by  bamboo  poles. 
A  clean  white  sheet  in  a  conspicuous  place,  is  a 
novelty  in  itself  sufficient  to  advertise  the 
presence  of  outsiders.  While  tracts  are  being 
distributed  from  house  to  house  the  evening 
service  is  announced.  If  there  is  no  musical  in- 
strument to  call  the  people  together  the  head- 
man is  asked  to  sound  his  gong  at  the  appointed 
time. 

The  magic  lantern  never  fails  to  draw  a  crowd. 


Ti;.\xsin.A^TiN(;  Rick 


U()i;iA.\    Ski.i.ki! 


"By  All  Means— Save  Some"     181 

But  as  the  first  picture  is  thrown  upon  the  screen 
we  notice  that  many  are  hanging  back  where 
they  cannot  see  and  hear  to  the  best  advantage. 
Then  we  discover  that  this  has  been  mistaken 
for  a  traveling  show,  and  that  they  are  keeping 
out  of  reach  of  the  collection  plate.  They  can 
hardly  believe  our  repeated  assertion  that  all  this 
is  for  them,  "  without  money  and  without  price." 
At  last  the  crowd  is  gathered  in  as  close  as  pos- 
sible, the  children  sitting  on  the  ground  in  front. 
At  first  we  show  a  few  pictures  illustrating  their 
own  life  and  customs.  How  pleased  they  are 
when  a  Burmese  damsel  arrayed  in  gaudy  skirt 
and  flowers,  appears  on  the  screen.  Then  we 
pass  to  pictures  illustrating  mission  work  among 
their  own  people,  taking  care  to  emphasize  the 
fact  that  Christianity  has  already  made  sub- 
stantial progress  in  Burma, — has  come  to  stay. 
By  this  time  our  dusky  audience  has  become  ac- 
customed to  the  novelty  of  the  situation,  and  is 
ready  to  settle  down  to  look  and  listen. 

Now  we  pass  to  our  real  purpose, — the  setting 
forth  of  Jesus  Christ  as  the  world's  Saviour. 
Often  the  preacher  has  been  met  with  the  de- 
mand, "  Show  us  your  God."  That  "  God  is  a 
Spirit,  and  they  that  worship  Him  must  wprship 
in  spirit  and  truth  "  is  beyond  the  comprehension 
of  the  heathen  mind.  He  has  no  conception  of 
an  eternal,  invisible  God.  He  can  point  to  his 
god  in  that  idol-house  on  the  hilltop,  but  Avhere 


i82  Among  the  Burmans 

is  the  Christian's  god  ?  Great  care  is  taken  at 
the  outset  to  make  them  understand  that  these 
pictures  of  Christ  on  the  screen  are  in  no  sense 
idols ;  that  we  do  not  worship  the  pictures. 
Then  each  picture  is  made  a  text  for  a  brief  but 
earnest  sermon,  as  we  strive  to  convey  to  them, 
through  eye  and  ear,  some  conception  of  the 
majesty,  power,  hohness,  and  love  of  God  as  re- 
vealed in  Christ.  There  is  a  crisis  when  we 
reach  the  picture  of  the  crucifixion.  Christ  is 
the  Christian's  God,  and  Jiis  God  is  dead.  That 
thought  is  expressed  in  various  exclamations. 
Up  to  this  point  we  seemed  to  be  carrying  our 
audience  with  us,  but  now  they  slip  from  our 
grasp.  For  the  moment  the  case  seems  lost,  the 
message  rejected.  How  earnestly  we  pray  that 
the  Holy  Spirit  will  make  "  the  attraction  of  the 
cross  "  realized  by  these  heathen  men  and  women. 
Have  we  made  a  mistake  in  displaying  the  cross 
in  the  first  proclamation  of  the  gospel  in  these 
villages?  Surely  "  Christ  and  Him  crucified"  was 
the  central  theme  of  Paul's  preaching,  wherever 
he  was.  He  Himself  said,  "  And  I,  if  I  be  Hfted 
up,  will  draw  all  men  unto  Me."  This  theme 
and  this  picture  shall  have  their  place, — we  will 
leave  the  result  with  God.  Without  waiting  for 
too  much  of  a  reaction  we  pass  to  the  picture  of 
the  resurrection.  At  once  the  preacher  gathers 
fresh  courage.  With  earnestness  and  triumph  in 
his  v©ice  he  sets  forth  the  glorious  fact  of  the 


"By  All  Means— Save  Some"     183 

resurrection.  "  Yes,  Christ  died  for  our  sins,  but 
He  laid  down  His  life  that  He  might  take  it 
again."  After  citing  proofs  of  the  resurrection 
we  close  with  the  ascension.  Christ  enthroned, 
with  "  All  power  in  heaven  and  on  earth,"  "  ever 
liveth  to  make  intercession  for  us." 

The  people  fully  understand  that  there  has 
been  nothing  supernatural  in  the  appearing  of 
the  pictures  on  the  screen,  and  yet  they  are  more 
deeply  impressed  than  when  appealed  to  through 
the  ear  alone.  As  one  man  expressed  it,  "  How 
can  we  disbelieve,  when  we  have  seen  with  our 
own  eyes,"  For  day-work  we  sometimes  use 
large  coloured  pictures  illustrating  the  Hfe  of 
Christ.  A  bamboo  pole  is  fastened  up  horizon- 
tally about  five  feet  from  the  ground.  The  pic- 
ture-roll is  suspended  under  the  pole  so  that  each 
picture,  when  done  with,  can  be  thrown  back 
over  the  pole.  This  method  is  very  effective 
with  the  children,  and  can  be  used  when  the 
older  people  are  at  their  work.  Both  old  and 
young  enjoy  the  pictures,  for  all  have  child-minds. 

On  one  occasion  we  were  preaching  by  this 
method  in  a  Karen  village.  A  middle  aged 
Karen,  a  typical  specimen  of  "  the  Great  Un- 
washed," planted  himself  directly  in  front  of  the 
picture,  intensely  interested  in  what  he  saw  and 
heard.  As  the  young  preacher  graphically  de- 
scribed some  of  Christ's  miracles,  or  told  of  the 
sad  events  of  the  Passion  Week,  the  man's  face 


184  Among  the  Burmans 

was  a  study.  Its  expression  changed  with  the 
varying  sentiment  of  the  message, — now  wreathed 
in  a  smile  that  showed  all  of  his  blackened  teeth  ; 
now  drawn  down  with  a  look  of  sadness  that 
would  have  been  comical  but  for  the  sacredness 
of  the  theme.  The  narration  of  Christ's  heavenly 
words  and  works  would  be  responded  to  by  an 
"  Ugh,  Ugh  "  of  approval ;  the  story  of  His  re- 
jection, by  the  same  grunts  in  a  different  tone, 
expressive  of  disapproval.  This  man,  at  least, 
was  ripe  for  a  personal  application  of  the  mes- 
sage. 

Now  and  then  we  find  a  village  in  which  is 
more  than  the  usual  amount  of  prejudice  against 
Europeans.  The  people  have  suffered  some  real 
or  imagined  oppression.  Not  being  able  to  dis- 
criminate between  the  missionary  and  the  official, 
they  naturally  resent  his  coming. 

Sometimes  a  whole  day  must  be  spent  in  dis- 
arming their  fear.  We  learn  that  a  man  is  sick 
with  fever, — the  medicine-box  is  opened  and  the 
sick  man  treated.  Children  come  peeping  around 
the  corners,  and  we  win  them  with  picture-cards. 
A  young  mother  goes  by  with  her  little  one 
astride  her  hip,  and  we  praise  the  baby.  So  by 
degrees  we  work  our  way  into  their  confidence 
and  prepare  the  way  for  our  message. 

Not  always  can  the  missionary  accompany  his 
native  evangelist  in  their  jungle  tours.  It  may 
be  that  other  forms  of  mission-work  compel  him 


"By  All  Means — Save  Some"     185 

to  remain  at  headquarters.  It  may  be  that  his 
health  has  become  so  affected  by  the  climate  that 
he  can  no  longer  endure  the  unavoidable  hard- 
ship and  exposure.  It  may  be  that  funds  are 
wanting  to  cover  the  expense  of  further  touring. 
Missionary  experience  has  demonstrated  the  wis- 
dom of  adopting  the  Master's  method,  and  he 
sends  out  his  native  helpers  "  two  by  two."  One 
man  alone  confronting  the  forces  of  heathenism, 
may  become  disheartened.  Poorly  trained,  he 
may  find  himself  led  into  argument  only  to  be 
worsted.  He  may  get  sick,  and  have  no  one  to 
take  care  of  him,  or  carry  a  message  to  his 
friends.  But  "  two  by  two,"  one  encourages  the 
other.  When  preaching,  one  supplements  the 
other.  The  one  who  follows  warms  to  his  work 
even  more  earnestly  than  the  one  who  led  off. 
What  one  does  not  think  of  the  other  one  does. 
We  have  often  marvelled  at  their  faithfulness, 
knowing  that  nearly  every  attempt  to  preach 
Christ  to  the  heathen  is  met  by  a  rebuff  from 
some  one.  They  may  have  made  repeated  at- 
tempts without  any  sign  of  fruitage.  Should 
they  "  shake  off  the  dust  "  of  their  feet  as  a  testi- 
mony against  every  village  in  which  their  mes- 
sage is  not  well  received,  they  would  soon  cover 
the  ground,  and  go  out  of  business. 

Often  after  a  day  of  ox-cart  riding,  followed  by 
preaching  extending  well  into  the  evening,  we 
have  retired  to  our  curtained  corner  in  a  native 


i86  Among  the  Burmans 

house,  so  weary  that  a  bamboo  floor  seemed 
smooth  and  soft.  Retired,  but  not  to  sleep, — 
for  no  sooner  are  we  out  of  sight  than  the  preach- 
ing begins  again.  Among  the  many  who  have 
heard  the  gospel,  one,  two,  or  half  a  dozen  want 
to  know  more  about  this  new  teaching.  They 
climb  up  into  the  house,  and  with  the  preachers 
form  a  circle  around  the  smoking  tin  lamp.  To 
ten,  twelve,  or  one  o'clock  in  the  night  the 
preaching  goes  on.  We  forget  our  weariness, 
for  we  know  that  the  very  best  work  of  all  is  now 
being  done.  The  preachers  are  face  to  face  with 
the  few  who  are  willing  or  anxious  to  hear,  un- 
hindered by  scoffers  or  fear  of  neighbours. 

Native  evangelists  are  not  encouraged  to  at- 
tend heathen  festivals  by  themselves,  although 
these  large  gatherings  furnish  good  opportunities 
for  preaching  and  tract  distribution.  Their  pres- 
ence at  a  heathen  festival  might  be  misunder- 
stood, besides  furnishing  an  excuse  to  weaker 
Christians  who  might  be  attracted  by  the  pomp 
and  show.  The  one  exception  is  the  heathen 
funeral.  As  has  already  been  pointed  out,  the 
funeral  is  also  a  festival,  but  animated  to  some  ex- 
tent by  a  different  spirit.  There  are  genuine 
mourners  in  the  house,  besides  the  wallers  who 
make  such  ado  by  turns.  There  are  truly  sym- 
pathetic friends,  besides  the  many  who  attend  be- 
cause it  is  customary,  or  to  share  in  the  feast. 
There  is  one  solemn  subject,  death,  that  will  not 


"By  All  Means— Save  Some"      187 

down,  besides  the  idle  chatter  of  the  throng. 
Here  is  the  place  for  the  preacher.  Now  and 
then,  it  is  true,  he  is  summarily  dismissed  the 
moment  he  attempts  to  preach.  But  as  a  rule  he 
finds  many  who  are  in  a  sober,  thinking  frame 
of  mind,  ready  to  listen  to  the  Christian  teacher's 
view  of  death  and  the  Great  Beyond.  That  the 
deceased  will  some  time  reappear,  as  man  or  ani- 
mal, they  believe,  but  not  as  the  same  indi- 
vidual. 

The  Christian  doctrine  of  the  immortality  of 
the  soul,  is  utterly  foreign  to  all  their  thinking. 
They  have  no  conception  of  a  final  state  of  bliss 
or  misery.  Nothing  is  final  except  Neikban, — 
annihilation, — and  few  there  be  who  find  it.  In 
the  Christian  doctrine  they  see  a  ray  of  hope. 
Some  from  real  interest,  others  from  curiosity 
will  listen  to  the  message.  Sometimes  it  happens 
that  the  deceased  was  the  heathen  wife  of  a 
Christian  husband,  or  the  heathen  husband  of  a 
Christian  wife,  for  they  do  not  always  separate 
where  one  is  converted  to  Christianity.  Such  a 
case  happened  near  our  home.  Ever  since  his 
baptism  Ko  Poo  had  led  a  terrible  life  with  his 
heathen  wife,  who  cherished  the  most  intense 
hatred  of  everything  Christian.  After  a  linger- 
ing illness  Ko  Poo  realized  that  his  time  had 
come.  Far  from  dreading  death  he  hailed  it  as 
bringing  sweet  release  from  an  unhappy  life. 
Before  his  death  he  made  his  will,  bound  his  lit- 


l88  Among  the  Burmans 

tie  ten  year  old  boy  to  the  mission,  and  secured 
the  missionary's  promise  that  in  spite  of  all  op- 
position, he  should  have  Christian  burial.  His 
people  were  given  their  choice  whether  to  have 
the  remains  taken  to  the  Christian  chapel  or  to 
have  a  Christian  service  in  the  house,  in  which 
his  wife  would  still  be  living.  They  chose  the 
latter  course.  But  an  unforeseen  event  occurred, 
complicating  matters.  The  wife  was  taken  sud- 
denly ill,  and  died  at  half-past  seven  in  the  morn- 
ing, two  hours  before  the  death  of  her  husband. 

Some  said  that  her  ill-timed  demise  was  a  final 
manifestation  of  her  spirit  of  interference  with  all 
Christian  doings.  Be  that  as  it  may,  it  was  now 
inevitable  that  there  would  also  be  a  heathen 
funeral  at  the  house,  at  the  same  time.  Here 
was  an  occasion  calling  for  diplomacy,  but  not 
for  yielding.  They  knew  the  missionary  too 
well  to  expect  him  and  his  native  preachers  to 
quit  the  field.  According  to  native  custom  a 
body  is  kept  from  three  to  five  days, — a  danger- 
ous custom,  to  say  the  least,  in  a  tropical  coun- 
try, with  no  facilities  for  embalming.  The  re- 
mains of  the  wife  might  be  kept  longer  if  they  so 
desired,  but  according  to  Christian  custom  the 
funeral  of  the  husband  must  be  held  on  the  sec- 
ond day.  "  Oh,  no,  that  would  not  be  good. 
They  had  lived  together  so  long,  now  let  them 
be  buried  at  the  same  time."  So  they  yielded 
that  point.     Next,  where  should  they  be  buried  ? 


"By  All  Means— Save  Some"     189 

The  Christians  had  their  cemetery,  and  the  Bud- 
dhists had  theirs.  The  missionary  could  plead 
his  promise  to  the  dying  man  that  he  should 
have  Christian  burial,  a  promise  badly  kept  if  the 
interment  should  be  in  the  Buddhist  cemetery. 
Of  course  they  were  not  willing  that  the  wife 
should  be  buried  in  the  Christian  cemetery, — so 
that  point  was  peaceably  gained.  Then,  how 
should  the  two  coffins  be  conveyed  to  their  last 
resting  place  ?  "  As  they  had  lived  together  so 
long,  let  the  two  coffins  be  carried  side  by  side," — ■ 
but  that  would  not  do,  for  they  were  not  bound 
for  the  same  destination, — another  point  quietly 
gained.  The  next  problem  was,  should  the  usual 
expensive  spire-topped  bier  be  constructed,  on 
which  to  place  the  wife's  coffin.  The  Christians 
were  not  providing  anything  of  that  kind,  so  the 
heathen  friends  were  easily  persuaded  to  forego 
their  custom  for  once,  and  save  the  money,  for 
the  benefit  of  the  orphaned  children.  When  the 
time  came  for  the  Christians'  service  the  mission- 
ary repaired  to  the  house,  whither  the  native 
preachers  had  already  gone.  In  fact,  one  or 
more  of  them  had  remained  there  the  entire  time 
from  the  death  of  Ko  Poo.  At  the  appearance 
of  the  missionary  and  the  Christian  company  the 
tom-toms  ceased  their  din,  and  the  room  was 
made  for  all  to  enter.  When  a  movement  was 
made  to  bring  from  the  upper  part  of  the  house 
the  coffin  containing  the  remains  of  the  husband, 


ic)0  Among  the  Burmans 

one  of  the  heathen  relatives  suggested  that  both 
coffins  be  brought  down,  at  the  same  time,  and 
be  placed  on  the  trestle  side  by  side.  When  this 
had  been  done,  the  missionary  made  a  sign  to 
the  native  pastor  that  all  was  ready  for  the  serv- 
ice to  begin.  Then  the  situation,  of  their  own 
creating,  dawned  upon  them.  A  Christian  serv- 
ice was  about  to  be  held  over  the  wife  as  well 
as  the  husband  !  A  man  jumped  up  in  anger  to 
protest,  but  was  quietly  though  emphatically  told 
to  sit  down  and  not  disturb  the  service.  Chris- 
tian hymns  were  sung,  appropriate  scripture 
read,  prayer  offered,  and  brief  but  earnest  talks 
made  by  three  of  the  Christian  workers,  including 
the  missionary,  A  crowd  had  gathered  filling 
all  available  space  in  the  large  room,  and  open 
space  out  to  the  street.  There  was  not  the 
slightest  disturbance  or  evidence  of  dissatisfaction 
throughout  the  service.  Scores  heard  for  the 
first  time  of  Christ — "  the  Resurrection  and  the 
Life."  Many  others  heard  anew,  under  more  im- 
pressive conditions.  Then  the  procession  formed, 
the  Christian  section  in  advance,  and  all  moved 
slowly  up  the  street,  to  the  sound  of  the  tom-toms 
in  the  rear.  At  the  Buddhist  cemetery,  the 
heathen  section  swung  off,  the  Christians  going  a 
short  distance  beyond  to  their  cemetery.  The 
husband's  relatives  followed  with  the  Christians. 
After  a  brief  service  at  the  grave,  all  returned  to 
their  homes.     So   closed   a    unique  experience, 


"By  All  Means — Save  Some"     191 

and   a  rare   opportunity  to  proclaim   Christ  as 
Saviour. 

Often  the  Christians  have  opportunity  to  min- 
ister to  a  mourning  mother — "  weeping  for  her 
children ;  and  she  would  not  be  comforted,  be- 
cause they  were  not."  In  a  twofold  sense  "  they 
are  not."  According  to  Buddhist  belief,  for  in- 
fants there  is  no  hope.  Little  boys  are  hardly 
considered  human  beings  until  they  have  spent 
at  least  one  day  in  a  monastery.  The  status  of 
little  girls  is  still  more  uncertain.  The  mourning 
mother  has  not  even  David's  comfort,  "  I  shall  go 
to  him,  but  he  will  not  return  to  me."  She  sor- 
rows without  hope.  Her  little  one  is  dead,  it 
was  too  young  to  have  a  soul,  it  is  simply  to  be 
taken  away  into  the  jungle  and  buried.  How 
her  face  brightens  with  hope,  in  spite  of  her  be- 
lief, when  we  tell  her  that  her  Httle  one  is  safe  in 
heaven.  She  is  ready  to  listen  to  the  sweet 
story  of  Jesus  blessing  little  children  ;  and  saying 
to  His  disciples,  "  Suffer  the  little  children  to  come 
unto  Me ;  and  forbid  them  not ;  for  to  such  be- 
longeth  the  kingdom  of  heaven."  Her  mind 
may  be  so  dark  that  she  fails  to  take  in  its  wealth 
of  meaning,  but  it  is  a  message  of  comfort,  at 
least.  Even  some  native  Christians  who  had  lost 
little  ones  before  their  own  conversion,  have  car- 
ried with  them  the  old  heathen  ideas  concerning 
their  lost  ones  until  assured  by  the  teacher  that 
they  will  see  their  little  ones  again.     This  truth 


192  Among  the  Burmans 

comes  to  them  as  a  blessed  revelation,  giving  joy 
and  hope  in  place  of  sadness.  Human  nature  is 
much  the  same,  the  world  over ;  the  same  sus- 
ceptibility to  joy  and  sorrow.  Christ  in  the  heart 
makes  all  the  difference. 

A  sad  occasion,  furnishing  a  grand  opportu- 
nity, was  the  burial  of  a  little  child  of  mixed 
parentage.  The  father  had  returned  to  England, 
leaving  his  native  concubine  and  two  little  chil- 
dren. The  younger,  only  about  nine  months  old, 
sickened  and  died.  Heathen  friends  and  rela- 
tives of  the  mother  came  to  the  mission  with  a 
request  that  the  child  be  buried  according  to 
Christian  custom.  A  large  company  gathered 
at  the  grave,  all  Buddhists  except  the  missionary 
and  the  native  pastor.  The  heathen  friends  were 
allowed  to  set  a  circle  of  lighted  candles  around 
the  grave  according  to  their  custom.  Then  a 
short  passage  of  scripture  was  read,  containing 
the  Saviour's  words  "  Suffer  the  little  children  to 
come  unto  Me,  and  forbid  them  not,  for  to  such 
belongeth  the  kingdom  of  heaven  "  ;  and  "  He 
took  them  in  His  arms  and  blessed  them,  laying 
His  hands  upon  them."  Men  and  women  listened 
intently  while  the  precious  truth,  so  new  and 
strange  to  them,  was  set  forth  that  these  little 
ones,  far  from  being  soulless  creatures, — as  Bud- 
dhism teaches, — are  choicest  material  for  the 
paradise  of  God.  And  that  except  a  man  become 
as   a  little   child,  in   simple  trust  and  purity  of 


"By  All  Means — Save  Some"     193 

heart,  he  cannot  enter  the  kingdom  of  God.  Re- 
turning to  their  homes  these  people  must  pass 
the  missionary's  house.  Twenty  of  them  stopped 
to  get  tracts  that  they  might  learn  more  about 
the  Glad  Tidings. 

Another  method  of  preaching  Christ  is 
through  "  medical  missions,"  or  the  incidental 
medical  work,  which  every  missionary  must  per- 
form. As  a  philanthropic  work  medical  missions 
would  be  justified  from  a  purely  medical  or 
humanitarian  point  of  view.  The  woman  who 
had  "  suffered  much  from  many  physicians  "  was 
a  victim  of  men  probably  much  more  advanced 
in  the  knowledge  of  medicine  than  the  average 
Burman  doctor.  Both  the  diagnosis  and  the 
treatment  are  based  on  superstition. 

The  so-called  doctor  enters  that  profession  be- 
cause he  has  a  taste  for  it  and  thinks  he  can  do 
well  (for  himself)  at  it.  He  requires  no  train- 
ing, and  no  drugs  other  than  he  can  pick  up  in 
the  jungle  as  he  goes  along, — herbs,  barks,  and 
roots  of  a  peculiar  smell,  shells,  stones,  etc. 
carefully  gathered  at  the  right  time  of  the  moon. 
Some  of  the  articles  in  his  stock  possess  a  real 
medicinal  value,  and  now  and  then  are  put  to 
their  proper  use,  as  is  the  case  in  country  dis- 
tricts the  world  over.  Any  one  of  the  ninety- 
six  diseases  which,  according  to  the  Burman 
notion,  the  flesh  is  heir  to,  may  have  come  from 
one  of  about  as  many  different  causes.     The  sick 


194  Among  the  Burmans 

man  may  have  been  bewitched,  one  of  their 
many  demons  may  be  having  a  turn  at  him,  or 
perhaps  he  has  offended  the  great  nagah,  or 
dragon.  If  it  is  due  to  the  balance  of  kan,  fate 
being  against  him,  the  case  is  hopeless.  That 
the  sickness  was  caused  by  eating  unripe  fruit, 
drinking  from  a  polluted  well,  or  eating  dried  and 
putrid  fish  seldom  occurs  to  the  man  of  science 
who  has  come  on  to  the  scene  to  lessen  the 
chances  of  recovery.  Such  is  the  fear  of  cholera 
that  cathartics,  in  many  cases  the  only  remedy 
needed,  are  rarely  given.  Some  of  the  Burmese, 
averse  to  taking  medicine  of  any  kind,  prefer  to 
call  a  dietist.  No  matter  what  the  ailment  may 
be,  the  patient's  birthday  determines  the  treat- 
ment. Every  Burman  knows  the  day  of  the 
week  on  which  he  was  born,  though  he  may  not 
know  the  month  or  the  year. 

His  own  name  would  recall  the  day,  should  he 
forget  it.  Certain  letters  are  assigned  to  each  day 
of  the  week,  according  to  the  planet  from  which 
the  day  took  its  name.  The  person's  name  must 
begin  with  one  of  the  several  letters  belonging 
to  his  birthday.  Now  in  like  manner  all  kinds 
of  food  beginning  with  one  of  those  letters  the 
patient  must  carefully  shamtg, — avoid.  Rice 
would  be  tabooed  on  Saturday,  but  as  no 
Burman  can  eat  at  all  without  rice,  an  exception 
is  made,  to  save  the  doctor's  popularity.  Bury- 
ing an  effigy  of  the  sick  person  is  sometimes  re- 


"By  All  Means — Save  Some"     195 

sorted  to,  in  order  to  fool  the  demon  who  is 
hanging  around  the  house.  Thinking  his  victim 
has  died,  he  will  depart.  Massage  sometimes  is 
very  helpful.  Half  a  dozen  people  in  a  village 
are  noted  for  their  knowledge  of  the  muscles  of 
the  human  body,  and  for  special  skill  in  the 
shampooing  process,  but  nearly  every  man  and 
woman  attempts  it  now  and  then.  This  may  be 
done  with  the  hands,  or  by  treading  slowly  back 
and  forth  on  the  prone  body  of  the  sufferer. 
Practiced  with  discrimination  it  has  more  value 
than  all  the  nostrums  of  doctors  or  dietists.  But 
unfortunately  the  Burmese  practice  it  for  every- 
thing, from  a  lame  toe  to  confinement  cases.  A 
prominent  Burman  in  Rangoon  recently  declared 
as  his  belief  that  Burma's  immunity  from  the 
plague  is  due  to  the  reverence  of  the  people  for 
the  "  three  precious  things  "  of  Buddhism,  "  the 
Buddha,  the  law,  and  the  priest."  Against  the 
occult  power  of  Karma  on  the  right  side  of  the 
scale,  accumulated  by  such  faithful  observance 
of  the  noble  precept,  the  baccilli  of  the  plague 
can  make  no  headway.  By  the  same  reasoning 
the  presence  of  the  plague  in  India  is  attributed 
to  the  fact  that  Hinduism  with  its  revolting 
customs  and  bloody  sacrifices  has  supplanted 
Buddhism  in  that  country. 

Putting    these   two   together    he    confidently 
asserts   that  the   only  effectual  remedy  for  the 


196  Among  the  Burmans 

plague  in  India  is  the  restoration  of  Buddhism 
as  the  national  religion. 

Mortality  among  infants  is  very  high.  This 
is  remarkable  when  one  considers  the  faithfulness 
of  the  mother  in  attending  to  its  wants,  starting 
it  on  honey  and  water  in  place  of  its  natural 
food ;  and  afterwards  supplementing  its  natural 
food  by  stuffing  little  wads  of  boiled  rice  into  its 
mouth  while  it  is  yet  but  a  few  weeks  old. 
Moreover,  special  precautions  are  taken  against 
the  departure  of  the  little  one's  "  butterfly- 
spirit."  That  which  the  Christian  calls  the  soul, 
the  Burman  calls  the  sense  of  knowing,  and  is 
personified  as  the  "  butterfly-spirit."  When  the 
body  dies  the  butterfly-spirit  also  dies.  When  a 
mother  dies  leaving  an  infant  behind,  immediate 
precautions  must  be  taken  to  prevent  the  child's 
butterfly-spirit  from  going  off  with  the  mother's. 
Incantations  are  resorted  to,  and  they  distractedly 
appeal  to  the  dead  mother  not  to  take  away  the 
butterfly-spirit  of  the  babe. 

Then  a  ceremony  is  performed  with  a  tuft  of 
fluffy  cotton  to  imitate  the  return  of  the  spirit  to 
the  body  of  the  child,  who  is  blinking  in  blissful 
unconsciousness  of  the  awful  crisis  through 
which  it  is  passing.  During  one's  sleep  the 
butterfly-spirit  may  go  wandering  about  by  itself, 
hence  the  peculiar  experiences  in  dreams.  The 
temporary  absence  of  the  butterfly-spirit  does  no 
harm,  unless  perchance  it  gets  lost  in  the  jungle, 


"By  All  Means — Save  Some"     197 

or  badly  frightened,  it  rushes  back  so  tumultu- 
ous as  to  cause  a  shock  to  its  owner.  Another 
danger  is  that  the  person  may  be  roused  from 
sleep  while  the  buttcrfl) -spirit  is  off  on  a  picnic, 
in  which  case  he  would  at  least  be  sick  until 
the  spirit  returns.  A  sleeping  man  must  not 
be  disturbed,  however  imperative  the  sum- 
mons. 

I  was  once  the  victim  of  over  sohcitude  on 
my  behalf.  Travelling  to  Rangoon  by  night- 
train,  with  a  Burman  as  a  companion  I  fell 
asleep.  The  Burman  knew  that  I  was  very 
anxious  to  reach  my  destination  on  time. 

He  also  knew  that  while  I  was  asleep  our 
train  was  delayed,  and  that  an  opportunity 
offered  for  a  transfer  to  the  mail-train  which  had 
the  right-of-way.  But  that  fellow,  educated  and 
Christian  that  he  was,  had  not  outgrown  the  feel- 
ing that  a  sleeper  must  not  be  roused,  and  so  let 
the  chance  slip  by.  An  important  business  en- 
gagement was  missed,  to  say  nothing  of  subsist- 
ing on  one  ear  of  boiled  corn  until  twelve  o'clock 
the  next  day.  Much  more  might  be  said  to 
show  that  there  is  a  large  field,  and  an  urgent 
demand  for  medical  missions.  I  am  fully  per- 
suaded that,  given  a  medical  missionary  with  an 
"  evangelistic  temperament,"  which  means  a 
"  passion  for  souls,"  no  other  missionary  agency 
can  be  compared  with  medical  missions.  Es- 
pecially is  this  true  of  work  among  Burman  and 


198  Among  the  Burmans 

Shan  Buddhists.  The  value  of  the  work  de- 
pends largely  on  the  man  himself. 

If  he  cannot  or  does  not  win  the  people  to 
himself  he  never  will  win  them  to  Christ.  The 
spiritual  work  will  suffer  in  proportion  as  he  al- 
lows himself  to  become  absorbed  in  the  purely 
medical  or  scientific  side  of  his  work,  leaving 
the  evangelistic  work  to  the  native  helpers. 

The  doctor  has  rare  opportunities  for  personal 
influence  in  his  dispensary  and  in  heathen  homes. 
It  is  to  be  greatly  regretted  that  at  the  present 
time  there  is  not  one  medical  missionary  in  the 
whole  country  assigned  to  Burman  Buddhists, 
who  comprise  about  four-fifths  of  the  population. 
All  of  the  Shan  mission  stations  have  medical 
missionaries,  and  the  success  of  their  work  testi- 
fies to  the  soundness  of  the  policy,  though  this 
policy  was  due  primarily  to  the  need  of  such 
protection  for  the  missionary  family  in  these 
frontier  stations. 

The  medical  missionary  has  a  double  hold  on 
the  people.  The  dispensary  brings  them  to  him, 
and  his  outside  practice  takes  him  to  their  homes, 
and  that  by  invitation.  In  both  respects  he  has 
an  advantage  over  the  clerical  missionary.  More- 
over, as  medical  treatment  is  the  ostensible  ob- 
ject in  their  case,  anti-Christian  opposition  is  not 
prematurely  excited.  Frequent  visits  of  the 
clerical  missionary  to  a  heathen  home,  brands 
that  home  as  leaning  towards  Christianity.     The 


"By  All  Means — Save  Some"     199 

one,  by  relieving  suffering,  removes  prejudice, 
although  he  may  at  the  same  time  proclaim 
Christ  as  faithfully  as  the  other  who,  by  making 
that  his  sole  errand,  unavoidably  excites  preju- 
dice. If  as  the  result  of  a  man's  ministrations 
the  blind  receive  their  sight,  the  lame  walk,  and 
fevers  are  banished,  he  is  forgiven  for  being  a 
Christian,  and  others  are  forgiven  for  consorting 
with  him. 

All  governments  and  religions  recognize  the 
fact  that  to  elevate  a  people  the  beginning  must 
be  made  with  the  children.  It  is  too  late  now 
to  "  begin  with  the  child's  grandfather."  Mis- 
sionaries do  not  confound  education  with  evangel- 
ization, but  they  do  recognize  its  great  value  in 
the  evangelizing  process.  Ideally,  evangelization 
should  come  first,  and  education  afterwards  to 
meet  the  consequent  demand.  This  is  usually 
the  method  followed,  to  the  extent  of  the  evan- 
gelizing force  available.  The  missionary  to  Bur- 
mans  is  shut  up  to  a  choice  between  losing  the 
children  of  Christian  parents  to  the  government, 
Roman  Catholic  and  S.  P.  G.  schools ;  and  estab- 
lishing an  anglo-vernacular  school  of  his  own,  in 
connecting  with  the  Education  Department  of 
government.  It  has  come  to  pass  that  every 
school  for  the  Burmese  in  the  towns,  must  have 
government  registration,  and  must  teach  Eng- 
lish. Every  boy,  whether  from  a  Christian  or 
heathen  home,  is  bound  to  have  the  certificates 


200  Among  the  Burmans 

which  only  registered  schools  can  give,  and  is 
bound  to  have  an  English  education.  If  the 
missionary  does  not  provide  the  opportunity  the 
male  children  of  his  Christian  community  will 
go  where  they  can  get  it.  The  Education  De- 
partment holds  annual  promotion-examinations. 
Certificates  are  given  to  all  who  complete  the 
course.  These  certificates  are  the  condition  of 
securing  employment  in  government  clerkships, 
mercantile  houses,  and  in  all  schools  connected 
with  the  Education  Department.  The  boy  who 
picks  up  his  education  in  a  vernacular  school,  or 
a  non-registered  school,  however  proficient  he 
may  become,  stands  no  chance  in  the  race.  So 
much  for  the  point  of  view  from  the  native  side. 
It  is  also  a  generally  recognized  fact  that  non- 
Christian  races  never  will  be  evangelized  by  the 
missionary  alone.  The  great  work  of  the  mis- 
sionary is  to  train  up  a  native  evangelizing  agency 
through  which  he  can  multiply  himself,  perpet- 
uate himself,  and  establish  a  self-sustaining  work, 
that  will  go  on  when  he  shall  have  been  com- 
pelled to  lay  it  down. 

Time  was  when  a  middle-aged  convert  from  a 
jungle  village,  with  no  education  beyond  the 
ability  to  stumble  through  a  chapter  in  his  Bible 
could  do  fairly  effective  service.  Such  men  are 
still  helpful  outside  of  the  towns,  if  helped  by  the 
missionary  to  a  better  understanding  of  their 
message.     EvangeHsts    of  such   limited  training 


"By  All  Means — Save  Some"     201 

are  far  from  ideal,  even  for  jungle  tours.  In  the 
towns  their  influence  is  very  slight. 

How  shall  a  stronger  force  be  provided  ?  Only 
through  the  mission  schools, — there  is  no  other 
way.  It  may  be  said  that  the  missionary  is  not 
called  upon  to  educate  clerks  for  government. 
It  is  also  true  that  he  is  not  called  upon,  by  his 
Master,  to  decide  beforehand  what  boys  in  his 
mission  shall  be  educated  for  the  ministry.  Much 
of  a  boy's  training  must  be  given  before  he  him- 
self is  sufficiently  mature  to  comprehend  a  divine 
"  call "  to  the  ministry.  If  no  place  is  given  for 
such  a  call,  the  native  ministry  will  be  filled  with 
men  who  would  do  better  service  in  the  rice- 
fields.  Rice  would  be  their  main  object  in  the 
ministry.  Moreover,  the  preliminary  training 
cannot  even  be  deferred  until  the  boy  is  con- 
verted. The  vocation  of  the  preacher  is  not 
hereditary,  like  that  of  the  various  castes  in 
India.  The  son  of  a  dacoit  may  be  converted 
during  his  school  life,  and  become  a  preacher. 
The  son  of  a  preacher  may  become  a  dacoit,  or 
at  least  never  feel  called  to  the  Christian  min- 
istry. The  mission  school  cannot  even  be  lim- 
ited to  children  of  Christian  families.  Opening 
the  doors  to  all  classes  willing  to  pay  for  the  ad- 
vantages of  the  school  greatly  reduces  its  cost  to 
the  mission. 

Increase  of  numbers  does  not  involve  increase 
in  the  number  of  classes  or  teachers.     Much  of 


202  Among  the  Burmans 

the  expense  is  thereby  placed  where  it  belongs, — 
upon  the  people  themselves.  Opening  the  doors 
to  all  classes  furnishes  the  grandest  field  for  evan- 
gelistic vi'ork  u^ithin  the  missionary's  sphere  of 
influence.  Every  day  in  the  week  Christian  in- 
fluences are  brought  to  bear  upon  the  same  indi- 
viduals ;  Christian  truths  are  inculcated ;  the 
creeds  of  false  religions  forestalled  in  youthful 
minds ;  prejudice  against  Christianity  dispelled,  and 
either  during  school  life,  or  when  the  pupils  are  free 
to  break  from  the  control  of  heathen  parents  many 
converts  are  gained.  From  these  converts,  as  well 
as  from  children  of  Christian  parents,  come  ac- 
cessions to  the  mission  force  of  teachers  and 
evangelists.  Paul  was  "  laid  hold  on  by  Christ 
Jesus  "  for  special  service  while  he  was  yet  as  in- 
tense a  hater  of  Christianity  as  can  be  found  in 
Buddhist  Burma.  From  among  the  unconverted 
children  now  in  mission  schools  some,  already 
chosen  in  the  foreknowledge  of  God,  will  be 
"  laid  hold  on "  to  be  Gospel  preachers  to  the 
rising  generation. 

From  the  early  days  of  Buddhism  in  Burma, 
even  before  the  language  was  reduced  to  writing 
there  were  monastic  schools  for  the  purpose  of 
teaching  boys  the  doctrines  of  the  new  religion. 
When  the  language  was  reduced  to  writing,  all 
boys  were  compelled  to  attend  the  monastic 
school  to  learn  to  read  and  write,  in  addition  to 
the  memorizing  of  portions  of  the  sacred  books. 


"  By  All  Means — Save  Some  "     203 

This  is  still  the  custom,  where  no  English  schools 
are  provided.  With  the  advent  of  the  English 
school  compulsory  attendance  at  the  monastery  is 
continued  for  religious  purposes  only,  and  may  be 
limited  to  the  brief  period  required  by  the  novi- 
tiate ceremony,  through  which  every  boy  must 
pass.  This  may  extend  to  three  months,  or 
be  cut  short  at  the  end  of  a  week,  according  to 
the  zeal  of  the  parents,  or  the  anxiety  to  get  the 
boy  back  into  the  English  school  so  that  he  may 
not  lose  his  promotion  examination.  Let  a  boy 
spend  a  year  in  the  monastery,  and  you  have  a 
full-fledged  Buddhist  to  deal  with.  Take  the 
same  boy  into  the  mission  school  at  the  age  of 
five  or  six,  even  earlier  where  there  is  a  kinder- 
garten department,  and  you  have  a  child  who  is 
no  more  a  Buddhist  than  your  own  little  ones. 
Buddhism  is  not  hereditary,  it  is  the  result  of 
training  and  environment.  Forestall  that  train- 
ing by  taking  the  children  into  the  Christian 
school,  and  there  train  them  in  the  blessed  doc- 
trines of  Christianity.  For  the  poisonous  en- 
vironment of  the  heathen  home  and  com- 
munity, substitute  the  Christian  influences  of 
life  in  the  mission  school.  For  this  purpose 
the  boarding-school,  in  which  the  pupils  are 
required  to  live,  and  be  under  Christian  in- 
fluences and  safeguards  day  and  night  is  worth 
vastly  more  than  the  day-school,  which  holds 
the  pupils  only  during  school   hours,  allowing 


204  Among  the  Burmans 

them  to  return  at  night  to  their  heathen 
homes. 

But  the  existence  of  the  mission  day-school, 
with  its  staff  of  native  Christian  teachers,  and 
its  daily  Bible-study  is  amply  justified  by  results. 
The  pupils  thus  kept  away  from  the  monastic 
school  are  not  being  indoctrinated  in  Buddhism ; 
they  are  being  indoctrinated  in  Christianity. 
Few  children  in  Christian  lands  receive  a  like 
amount  of  Bible  teaching.  I  venture  to  say  that 
there  are  day-schools  in  Burma,  made  up  largely 
of  children  from  heathen  homes,  that  could  suc- 
cessfully compete  with  the  average  Sunday- 
school  in  America  in  answering  questions  on  the 
Bible.  Heathen  parents  of  pupils  in  the  day- 
school  have  complained  that  their  children  have 
already  renounced  Buddhist  worship  and  cus- 
toms, and  openly  preach  Christ  to  their  own 
parents.  Whether  these  pupils  are  gathered  into 
the  Christian  fold  or  not,  a  few  years  hence  they 
will  be  rearing  families  of  their  own.  The  next 
generation,  born  of  pupils  now  in  mission  schools, 
will  not  be  taught  to  hate  everything  in  any  way 
connected  with  the  "  Jesus  Christ  religion,"  as 
these  pupils  have  been.  Even  the  day-school  is 
one  of  the  stepping-stones  heavenward  for  these 
benighted  beople. 

The  Karen  village  school-teacher,  besides  his 
regular  work  in  the  school,  brings  his  influ- 
ence to  bear  on  the  parents  as  well,  with  the  re- 


"By  All  Means — Save  Some"     205 

suit  that  in  many  instances  the  entire  village  is 
won  to  Christianity.  Some  of  these  teachers  are 
marvels  of  consecration.  Poorly  fed,  poorly 
clothed,  often  with  no  other  pay  than  their 
meagre  fare,  far  from  home  and  friends, — they 
are  worthy  a  place  among  the  heroes  of  our 
time. 

Scores  of  these  schools  are  now  in  operation. 
Their  value  as  an  evangelizing  agency  can  hardly  be 
estimated.  Many  ofthese  teachers  are  young  men, 
just  out  of  the  training-school  in  town.  Follow- 
ing the  example  of  the  missionaries  under  whom 
they  have  been  trained,  and  catching  something 
of  their  spirit,  these  young  men  have  themselves 
become  missionaries.  If  in  Christian  villages 
without  settled  pastors,  not  only  the  children  in 
the  school,  but  men  and  women  of  all  ages  be- 
come their  pupils,  recognizing  the  young  teach- 
ers' superior  training,  and  willingly  sitting  at 
their  feet,  both  in  their  homes  and  at  the  regular 
worship  in  the  village  chapel.  If  in  non-Chris- 
tian villages  the  teacher,  by  his  school  and  such 
other  influences  as  he  can  bring  to  bear,  excites 
an  interest  in  Christianity,  of  which  as  yet  they 
know  nothing. 

They  wanted  a  school  because  they  had  no- 
ticed, or  had  it  impressed  upon  them  by  the  mis- 
sionary, that  other  villages  were  benefited  by 
having  schools.  The  missionary  seizing  the  op- 
portunity, inserts  this  entering  wedge,  with  its 


2o6  Among  the  Burmans 

Christian  influences  which  they  would  not  accept 
from  the  regular  evangelist.  The  net  is  cast,  and 
it  gathers  of  every  kind.  Soon  "  the  kingdom  of 
heaven  suffereth  violence  "  and  the  whole  village 
would  take  it  by  force,  only  checked  by  the  re- 
quirements that  they  utterly  abandon  their  spirit- 
worship,  and  turn  unto  the  Lord  with  all  their 
hearts. 

This  requirement  not  only  differentiates  the 
Christian  villages  from  the  heathen,  but  from  the 
Roman  Catholic  villages  as  well,  for  the  latter  are 
allowed  to  retain  all  their  old  customs  and  vices, 
adding  thereto  the  vices  of  their  foreign  teachers. 
Martin  B.  Anderson  once  wrote  to  a  friend — 
"  The  work  of  our  eastern  missions  is  vastly  more 
comprehensive  than  ordinary  Christians  suppose. 
It  is  nothing  else  than  the  creation,  among  a 
heathen,  semi-barbarous,  and  ignorant  popula- 
tion, of  the  most  advanced  type  of  Christian  civ- 
ilization. This  at  least  ought  to  be  the  ideal 
which  we  should  have  before  our  minds,  and  for 
whose  realization  we  should  constantly  labour. 
The  cultivation  of  the  moral  and  religious  nature 
of  man  should  be  carried  on  simultaneously  with 
the  highest  practical  development  of  the  intellec- 
tual powers.  Can  such  an  education  as  our  east- 
ern converts  require  be  communicated  to  them 
through  their  vernacular  languages?  My  own 
impression  is  that  it  cannot.  It  (the  English  lan- 
guage) comes  to  them  freighted  with  all  the  in- 


"By  All  Means — Save  Some"     207 

tellectual  accumulations  of  the  past.  It  brings  to 
them  the  terminology  of  spiritual  religion,  of  the 
science  of  the  mind,  and  the  science  of  God. 
Their  preachers  and  teachers,  and  moral  and  po- 
litical leaders  must  be  trained  in  English,  or  their 
education  will  be  inadequate  and  narrow." 

The  foregoing  pages  describe  some  of  the 
many  methods  employed  by  our  missionaries, 
who  would  "  by  all  means     .     .     .     save  some." 


IX 

"WITH  PERSECUTIONS" 

AMARAPURA  had  been  the  capital  of 
Burma  forty  years  when,  in  1823,  a  great 
fire  destroyed  some  of  the  royal  build- 
ings. Having  decided  that  Amarapura  was  an 
unlucky  place  the  capital  was  restored  to  Ava. 

Judson's  first  visit  to  the  capital  occurred  at 
this  time.  The  king  had  requested  him  to  open 
a  mission  at  Ava,  and  offered  land  for  the  pur- 
pose. Then  a  war  cloud  on  the  western  coast 
arose  to  darken  his  prospects.  The  British  at 
Chittagong  refused  to  deliver  up  certain  Burmans 
who  had  taken  refuge  there. 

In  1824  the  Burman  king  declared  war.  Sev- 
eral Englishmen  who  were  then  at  Ava,  were 
seized  and  thrust  into  prison. 

Judson  and  his  associate,  Dr.  Price,  suspected 
of  being  in  league  with  the  English,  were  also 
imprisoned. 

The  son  of  Bodawp'ra,  known  in  history  as 
Badawgyi,  was  then  king. 

The  Burman  kingdom,  with  the  exception  of 
Chittagong,  was  yet  intact.     The  haughty  king 
imagined  himself  to  be  the  most  powerful  mon- 
208 


"  With  Persecutions  "  209 

arch  on  earth ;  and  that  his  cities  were  impreg- 
nable, his  armies  invincible.  Unable  to  discrim- 
inate between  Americans  and  Englishmen,  the 
king  caused  all  white  men  to  be  thrown  into 
prison  together. 

Eleven  months  at  Ava  and  six  months  at 
Aungbinle  Judson  and  Dr.  Price  suffered  inde- 
scribable misery. 

Bound  with  chains,  crowded  in  with  scores  of 
natives,  famishing  from  lack  of  suitable  food,  the 
whole  place  reeking  in  filth.  Mental  distress  was 
almost  equal  to  the  physical,  for  Judson's  be- 
loved wife  and  child,  whom  he  longed  to  see, 
were  also  suffering.  In  the  providence  of  God 
their  lives  were  spared,  but  they  would  feel  the 
effects  of  such  sufferings  to  the  end  of  their 
days. 

A  school  history  of  Burma  contains  this  touch- 
ing reference  to  the  released  missionaries  and 
Europeans :  "  A  sadder  spectacle  has  seldom 
been  presented  to  living  human  beings  than  that 
which  was  offered  to  the  English  camp  by  those 
liberated  captives.  They  were  covered  with 
filthy  rags,  they  were  worn  to  skin  and  bones, 
and  their  haggard  countenances,  sunken,  wander- 
ing eyes,  told  but  too  plainly  the  frightful  story 
of  their  long  suffering,  their  incessant  alarms,  and 
their  apprehension  of  a  doom  Avorse  than  death." 
Such  was  the  experience  of  the  first  missionary  to 
Burma.      The  oft-repeated   remark,  "  The   days 


210  Among  the  Burmans 

of  missionary  heroism  are  past,"  has  done  much 
to  deaden  interest  in  foreign  missions.  It  is  not 
my  purpose  to  give  a  prominent  place  to  the 
subject  of  missionary  sacrifices. 

A  few  illustrations,  which  might  be  multiplied, 
will  serve  to  show  to  what  extent  the  spirit  of 
Burman  Buddhists  has  changed  since  the  time 
when  they  inflicted  upon  Judson  such  terrible 
tortures. 

In  1842,  a  few  years  after  Judson  triumphantly 
held  aloft  the  last  leaf  of  the  Bible  translated  into 
the  Burman  language,  the  first  martyr  laid  down 
his  Hfe  "  for  Christ's  sake  and  the  gospel's."  His 
name  was  Klo  Mai, — a  converted  Karen.  A 
company  of  Burmans  broke  into  his  house, 
abused  him  cruelly,  threatening  his  life  if  he 
would  not  recant. 

His  son  Shwe  Nyo,  also  a  Christian,  leaped  to 
the  ground  and  hid  himself  in  the  jungle,  but  not 
until  he  had  been  severely  stabbed.  Klo  Mai  was 
dragged  from  his  house  and  crucified  by  his 
heartless  tormentors.  Bound  to  a  hastily  con- 
structed bamboo  cross,  in  the  form  of  a  letter  X, 
he  was  left  to  die,  and  did  die,  rather  than  deny 
his  Master. 

His  son  Shwe  Nyo,  became  an  effective 
preacher  of  the  gospel,  stimulated  to  the  greater 
earnestness  by  his  father's  faithful  example. 

Surely  he  "  bore  in  his  body  the  brand-marks 
of  the  Lord  Jesus,"  for  he  carried  with  him  until 


"With  Persecutions"  211 

his  death  in  1 892,  the  scar  of  that  stab  received 
in  his  youth. 

Buddhism  has  been  said  to  be  the  most  toler- 
ant of  all  non-Christian  religions ;  and  the  Bur- 
mese the  most  tolerant  of  all  Buddhist  peoples. 
This  may  be  true,  up  to  a  certain  point.  Judson 
gave  as  the  reason  why  Portuguese  Roman  Catho- 
lics were  left  unmolested  in  Burma,  that  "  very 
few  Burmans  entered  that  church,  proselytism 
being  the  only  thing  in  foreign  religions  to  which 
Buddhists  object."  But  to  gain  a  convert  from 
Buddhism  he  declared  to  be  "  like  pulling  the 
tooth  of  a  tiger." 

With  the  establishing  of  an  elaborate  police- 
system,  by  the  British  government,  and  the  cer- 
tainty that  crime  would  be  punished,  missionaries 
and  native  converts  no  longer  had  reason  to  fear 
the  more  violent  forms  of  persecution.  But  the 
Burman  still  found  ways  to  persecute,  without 
laying  himself  liable  to  the  law  of  the  land,  when 
one  of  his  people  had  the  temerity  to  forsake  the 
ancestral  religion. 

A  case  of  this  kind  was  very  soon  brought  to  our 
notice.  Our  personal  teacher  was  a  young  con- 
vert. In  his  native  village  he  had  heard  the  gos- 
pel from  a  travelling  evangelist;  learned  more 
from  tracts  that  were  given  him;  believed 
what  he  heard  and  read,  and  openly  declared  his 
belief  to  his  people.  This  excited  such  anger  and 
opposition  that  he  was  obliged  to  run  away  from 


212  Among  the  Burmans 

home.  His  people  followed  him  to  the  mission, 
threatening  to  kill  him  if  he  did  not  renounce 
Christianity,  and  return  to  his  village.  The 
young  man  again  escaped  from  his  persecutors, 
and  remained  in  hiding  until  they  returned  to 
their  homes.  The  missionary  gave  him  the  train- 
ing he  so  earnestly  desired,  and  he  became  an 
effective  preacher.  A  few  years  later,  in  com- 
pany with  the  missionary  and  others,  he  returned 
to  his  village  and  openly  proclaimed  Christ  be- 
fore them  all.  At  our  mission  station  a  middle- 
aged  man  was  led  to  Christ  by  this  young  man. 
The  new  convert's  wife  and  others  bitterly 
opposed  his  companying  with  the  Christians,  and 
attending  their  worship.  When  it  became  known 
that  he  was  to  be  baptized,  his  mother  followed 
him  to  the  river  and  earnestly  besought  him  to 
give  up  his  crazy  purpose.  Failing  in  this  she 
returned  home  and  told  his  wife  that  her  husband 
had  actually  been  baptized  before  her  eyes.  This  so 
enraged  her  that  she  snatched  his  clothing  from 
its  place,  and  would  have  cut  it  to  bits  had  not 
the  mother  prevented  her.  For  several  days  and 
nights  the  husband  and  father  had  to  remain 
away  from  his  family,  waiting  for  the  atmosphere 
to  clear.  At  last  the  wife  consented  to  live  with 
him,  but  her  continued  opposition  was  a  source 
of  great  unhappiness  until,  a  few  years  later,  he 
was  called  to  "  come  up  higher."  At  another 
mission  station  an  old  man  became  a  convert,  and 


"With  Persecutions"  213 

felt  it  his  duty  to  be  baptized.  At  first  he  shrank 
from  it,  knowing  what  the  consequences  would 
be,  but  he  felt  that  he  should  "  obey  God  rather 
than  man."  His  decision  raised  a  terrible  storm 
of  opposition.  His  own  grown-up  children  joined 
with  the  rest  in  calling  him  crazy.  They  tore 
around  like  fiends,  slapped  and  pushed  the  poor 
old  man,  and  twice  knocked  him  to  the  ground, 
before  the  missionary  could  rescue  him.  It  was 
a  terrible  test,  but  God  was  with  him. 

Encouraged  by  the  missionary,  he  walked  out 
of  the  village  to  the  waterside,  and  without  one 
of  his  relations  to  witness  his  "  obedience  of 
faith  "  he  followed  his  Lord  in  baptism.  Radiant 
with  joy  he  returned  to  the  village,  though  he 
knew  that  henceforth  his  foes  would  be  "  they  of 
his  own  household." 

Another  missionary  has  given  the  following 
account  of  the  conversion  and  baptism  of  a  pupil 
in  one  of  the  mission  schools. 

"  It  gives  me  great  joy  to  record  the  baptism 
of  another  of  our  pupils,  the  first  Burman  to  be 
converted  in  our  school,  or  in  this  town,  so  far  as 
I  know.  He  has  come  out  amidst  bitter  opposi- 
tion and  persecution  from  all  his  friends. 

"  More  than  a  year  ago  he  asked  his  parents' 
consent  to  his  baptism,  but  received  nothing  but 
curses  from  his  mother,  and  tearful  entreaties  to 
postpone  his  baptism,  from  his  father.  After 
waiting  a  year  he  told  them  firmly  that  he  had 


214  Among  the  Burmans 

decided  to  obey  God  rather  than  man,  and  that 
if  they  still  withheld  their  consent  he  must  be 
baptized    without    it.     So    during   a    visit  from 

Mr. last  month  he  presented  himself  as  a 

candidate  for  baptism.  His  sister  came  to  the 
preliminary  meeting,  and  attempted  to  prevent 
his  being  received.  Failing  in  this  she  left  in 
anger,  threatening  him  with  a  beating  when  he 
returned  home.  He  had  scarcely  left  the  river- 
side, when  his  mother  appeared,  and  after  much 
loud  and  abusive  language  ordered  him  home,  re- 
newing the  sister's  threat  of  a  beating.  He  went 
obediently,  saying  as  he  left, '  This  is  a  very  hard 
day  for  me,  but  I  can  bear  it  with  joy  for  Jesus' 
sake.' 

"  They  did  not  use  personal  violence,  but  em- 
ployed every  other  means  to  hurt  and  humiliate 
him.  When  he  remained  steadfast  they  called  in 
all  their  relations  and  friends,  a  large  and  respect- 
able company,  for  they  are  a  family  in  good 
standing,  and  spent  the  evening  in  trying,  some 
by  gentle  persuasion,  some  by  threats  and  ridi- 
cule to  make  him  renounce  his  Christian  faith. 
But  he  only  answered  that  he  knew  he  had  found 
the  right  way,  and  should  never  forsake  it.  He 
even  dared  to  preach  to  them  of  the  true  God, 
until  his  father  commanded  him  to  stop. 

"  The  following  Sunday  they  took  away  his 
jacket,  and  threatened  to  come  and  curse  us  if  he 
came  to  worship.     Since  they  have  given  up  the 


"With  Persecutions"  215 

hope  of  winning  him  back  to  Buddhism,  they 
simply  ignore  his  presence  in  the  house,  and  have 
informed  him  that  he  is  at  liberty  to  eat  at  home 
but  will  never  receive  another  pice  from  them 
while  he  remains  a  Christian.  His  former  friends 
have  forsaken  him,  some  even  refuse  to  speak  to 
him.  Yet  he  has  not  wavered  for  a  moment,  and 
often  says  with  a  radiant  face, '  This  religion  is  a 
very  happy  religion.'  " 

In  a  distant  village  lived  a  young  Christian 
Burman,  with  his  heathen  wife.  He  was  the  only 
Christian  in  the  place,  and  for  miles  around. 
Unflinchingly  he  confessed  Christ  as  his  Saviour, 
in  the  face  of  much  prejudice  and  opposition. 
One  night  men  burst  into  his  house  and  de- 
manded his  money  and  other  valuables.  Not 
securing  so  much  as  they  expected,  they  began 
beating  him  with  their  clubs.  He  shouted  with 
all  his  might,  but  not  a  soul  stirred  in  the  sur- 
rounding houses.  With  each  blow  they  reviled 
him  saying,  "Can  Jesus  save  you?  Can  Jesus 
Christ  save  you  ?  "  Having  satisfied  their  brutal 
instincts,  and  being  unable  to  secure  more  plun- 
der they  descended  to  the  ground,  dragging  the 
young  man  with  them.  As  they  passed  through 
the  village  they  shouted  threateningly,  "  Let  no 
one  follow  us."  There  was  little  danger  that  any 
one  would  follow.  There  was  not  a  light  in  the 
village,  and  not  a  head  showed  itself.  Doubtless 
some  of  the  villagers  were  in  league  with  these 


2l6  Among  the  Burmans 

villains,  others  were  intimidated,  supposing  they 
were  dacoits. 

The  young  man,  bruised  and  suffering,  was 
forced  to  accompany  his  persecutors  about  a 
mile,  where  they  released  him.  He  worked  his 
way  back  to  the  village,  and  on  the  following  day 
persuaded  two  men  to  take  him  to  the  nearest 
railway  station,  six  miles  away. 

Jungle  roads  were  impassable,  but  he  made  the 
journey  astride  a  buffalo.  Reaching  the  mission 
station  he  was  examined  by  the  medical  mission- 
ary, who  found  that  he  had  sustained  a  green 
fracture  of  two  ribs,  besides  a  serious  scalp  wound 
and  many  bruises.  Acting  on  information  fur- 
nished by  the  missionary,  the  police  traced  and 
captured  the  whole  band.  They  were  sentenced 
to  terms  in  the  penitentiary,  ranging  from  four  to 
seven  years. 

Here  is  an  extract  from  a  missionary's  account 
of  a  tour  made  in  1883  to  a  town  in  Upper 
Burma  where  now  is  a  Christian  church  and 
school : 

"  Before    going    north    Maung    was 

warned  not  to  use  the  same  boldness  of  speech 
that  he  was  accustomed  to  use  in  British  Burma, 
lest  they  should  kill  him.  But  as  far  as  I  ob- 
served he  was  bolder  than  ever,  denouncing  idol- 
atry in  every  form,  and  pleading  the  merits  of 
Jesus  Christ. 

"  A  German  who  had  declared  that  there  was 


"With  Persecutions"  217 

not  a  true  conv^ersion  among  the  Burmans,  was 
compelled  to  acknowledge  that  he  had  been  mis- 
taken, for  no  man  (said  he)  could  face  what  this 
one  did  who  was  not  a  Christian." 

As  has  been  said,  there  is  little  reason,  at  the 
present  time,  to  fear  for  one's  life.  But  such  in- 
stances of  persecution  as  here  given  are  being 
repeated  at  every  station  where  mission  work 
among  Buddhists  is  being  carried  on.  Here  we 
have  enacted  before  our  eyes  a  living  commen- 
tary on  these  words  of  Christ :  "  Think  not  that 
I  came  to  send  peace  on  the  earth.  I  came  not 
to  send  peace,  but  a  sword.  For  I  came  to  set  a 
man  at  variance  against  his  father,  and  the 
daughter  against  her  mother,  and  the  daughter- 
in-law  against  her  mother-in-law  ;  and  a  man's 
foes  shall  be  they  of  his  own  household.  He 
that  loveth  father  or  mother  more  than  me  is  not 
worthy  of  me ;  and  he  that  loveth  son  or  daugh- 
ter more  than  me  is  not  worthy  of  me."  The 
doctrine  that  "  There  is  no  other  name  whereby 
we  must  be  saved  "  inevitably  would  produce  this 
very  result,  as  every  missionary  witnesses. 

It  is  my  profound  conviction  that  missionaries 
and  native  converts  owe  the  safety  of  their  lives, 
under  God,  to  the  strong  arm  of  the  British 
Indian  government.  Doubtless  the  majority  of 
Burman  Buddhists,  if  left  to  themselves,  would 
tolerate  any  foreign  religion  in  their  midst. 

But  they  are  not  left  to  themselves.     The  priest 


2i8  Among  the  Burmans 

is  the  Pharisee  of  Buddhism ;  each  idol-maker  a 
modern  Demetrius.  The  one  says  :  "  Only  by 
our  hold  upon  the  superstitious  reverence  of  the 
people  we  have  sustenance."  The  other  says  : 
"  Only  by  this  business  have  we  our  wealth." 

Both  hate  the  Christian  evangelist  with  a  bitter 
hatred.  Take  away  the  strong  arm  of  the  law 
which,  by  many  severe  lessons,  they  have  learned 
to  respect,  these  emissaries  of  Satan  would  make 
the  advent  of  a  Christian  evangelist  an  occasion 
of  rioting  rivalling  that  of  Ephesus. 

Judson's  experiences  would  be  repeated  in  the 
experience  of  many  a  missionary.  As  it  is  there 
are  scores  of  Buddhists  who  secretly  admit  that 
Christianity  is  right,  but  dare  not  openly  break 
away  from  the  toils  of  this  Buddhist  hierarchy. 

The  reign  of  Badawgyi,  the  king  that  im- 
prisoned Dr.  Judson,  extended  to  1857.  During 
the  last  years  his  authority  was  but  nominal. 

The  humiliation  of  his  defeat  by  the  English ; 
loss  of  territory  ;  and  from  1830,  the  degradation 
of  being  compelled  to  have  a  British  resident  in 
the  royal  city  finally  drove  him  insane.  In  that 
condition  he  remained  until  his  death,  in  1845. 
So  ended  the  career  of  this  cruel  king  under 
whom  Dr.  Judson  suffered.  At  about  this  time 
the  capital  was  again  transferred  to  Amarapura, 
which  remained  the  capital  until  the  founding  of 
Mandalay,  in  i860. 

Ava  was  left  to  fall  to  ruin.     From  the  found- 


"With   Persecutions"  219 

ing  of  Ava  until  it  was  finally  abandoned,  thirty 
kings  had  reigned  there,  for  periods  from  a  few 
months  up  to  thirty-eight  years,  including  tem- 
porary changes  of  the  capital. 

I  visited  the  site  of  Ava  in  August,  1903, 
crossing  the  Irrawadi  River,  from  Sagaing.  The 
old  city  wall,  from  which  much  of  the  brick- 
work has  been  removed,  still  stretches  along  the 
bank  of  the  river  for  two  miles.  The  main 
entrance,  through  which  Judson  must  have  passed 
and  repassed,  is  still  intact,  though  the  great  gates 
have  disappeared. 

The  city  was  built  in  the  angle  formed  by  the 
junction  of  the  Irrawadi  and  Myitngi  Rivers,  and 
extended  back  along  the  Myitngi  one  and  a  half 
miles.  A  smaller  inner  wall  enclosed  the  palace 
and  other  royal  buildings.  Only  one  building  of 
the  entire  city  is  still  standing. 

This  building  is  of  brick,  plastered  on  the  out- 
side with  cement,  and  represents  the  best  work- 
manship of  which  their  imported  Indian  archi- 
tects and  masons  were  capable.  It  is  about 
twenty-five  feet  square  and  seventy-five  feet 
high,  and  is  without  doors  or  windows.  There 
was  a  brick  and  plaster  stairway  on  the  outside, 
winding  around  the  tower.  From  some  unknown 
cause  the  tower  long  ago  settled  on  one  side,  so 
that  it  leans  fully  six  feet  out  of  perpendicular. 
This  settling  threw  down  the  massive  brick  stair- 
way, which  now  hes  in  chaotic  ruin. 


220  Among  the  Burmans 

This  lofty  building,  standing  within  the  royal 
quarters,  was  the  watch-tower.  From  its  top 
long  views  up  and  down  the  great  river,  and  out 
over  the  open  plains,  could  be  obtained.  Sentinels 
paced  its  top  to  give  timely  warning  of  the  ap- 
proach of  an  enemy.  On  a  great  gong  they 
struck  the  hours  by  day  and  night.  The  sound, 
easily  reaching  far  beyond  the  limits  of  the  royal 
grounds,  would  be  welcomed  by  Judson  and  his 
fellow  sufferers  to  break  the  awful  monotony  of 
life  in  the  miserable  prison,  which  stood  outside 
the  inner  wall.  The  prison  was  demolished 
many  years  ago,  but  within  the  memory  of 
Burmans  now  living  near  by.  Around  a  large 
tree,  that  must  have  been  large  enough  in 
Judson's  time  to  furnish  partial  shade  from  the 
fierce  rays  of  the  tropical  sun,  a  circular  platform 
of  old  brickwork  still  remains.  Broken  brick 
and  roofing-tile  cover  the  ground. 

Much  of  the  site  of  the  old  city  is  covered  with 
tangled  jungle-growth,  through  which  chetahs 
and  other  animals  sometimes  prowl.  A  score  of 
Burmans  are  slowly  digging  up  the  ground  to  the 
depth  of  about  three  feet  over  the  entire  area  once 
coveredbythe  royal  buildings.  Nowandthen  their 
labours  are  rewarded  by  finds  of  jewelry  or  silver. 

The  finer  earth  below  the  layer  of  debris  is 
washed  for  gold  dust,  from  the  many  gold-deco- 
rated buildings  that  have  marked  the  spot  through 
the  reign  of  many  kings. 


"With  Persecutions"  221 

The  sight  of  the  Ava  prison  having  been 
identified  beyond  a  doubt,  the  Baptists  of 
America  would  do  well  to  place  there  a  suitable 
monument  to  mark  the  spot  where  their  first 
missionary  suffered  so  much  "  for  Christ's  sake 
and  the  gospel's." 

After  suffering  for  eleven  long  months  at  Ava 
the  prisoners  were  transferred  to  Aungbinle,  a 
day's  journey  to  the  northeast.  In  company 
with  the  missionary  at  Mandalay  I  rode  to  the 
place,  two  days  before  my  visit  to  Ava.  Aung- 
binle is  about  five  miles  east  of  Mandalay,  towards 
the  hills.  Among  the  public  works  of  Bodawp'ra, 
who  reigned  from  1789  to  18 19,  was  an  artificial 
lake,  formed  by  a  raised  embankment  of  earth 
enclosing  about  fifteen  square  miles  of  the  nearly 
level  plain. 

This  was  filled  by  means  of  a  canal  connecting 
with  a  natural  lake  two  or  three  miles  farther 
north,  fed  by  mountain  streams. 

In  these  two  reservoirs  abundance  of  water  for 
irrigation  could  be  stored  for  use  through  the 
many  rainless  months.  This  artificial  lake  was 
called  "  Aung-binle"  — the  conquered  or  shut-in 
sea. 

At  its  southwest  bend  Aungbinle  village  still 
stands,  though  its  thatch-and-bamboo  houses 
have  been  renewed  ten  times  over  since  Judson 
was  brought  there  to  be  thrown  into  the  death- 
prison. 


222  Among  the  Burmans 

The  site  of  this  prison  also  has  been  identified 
beyond  a  reasonable  doubt.  An  aged  Burman 
there  pointed  out  the  spot  to  missionaries  who 
were  investigating  the  matter  several  years  ago. 

A  Burman  official  who  had  been  there  many 
years,  and  was  familiar  with  land-titles,  confirmed 
the  old  man's  story.  More  recently  an  old  brick 
pathway  was  discovered  when  ditching  the  road 
that  passes  the  prison-site.  This  further  corrobo- 
rated the  statement  of  the  two  Burmans  that  the 
police  quarters  were  on  the  north  side  of  this 
road,  and  the  prison  on  the  south.  There  is  little 
room  for  doubt  that  the  brick  pathway  connected 
the  two.  The  prison  itself  was  only  a  bamboo 
structure,  of  which  nothing  would  now  be  left. 

A  Buddhist  monastery  erected  later  near  the 
prison-site,  was  destroyed  by  fire  a  few  years 
ago.  There  are  two  pagodas  within  a  stone's 
throw,  one  of  which  may  have  stood  there  in 
Judson's  time. 

Except  a  few  slender  palms,  the  region  must 
have  been  treeless,  the  heat  indescribable.  The 
location  of  Mrs.  Judson's  house  is  uncertain. 
Judging  from  the  situation  of  the  village,  and  the 
character  of  the  land  near  by  it  must  have  been 
quite  near  the  prison. 

The  Baptist  mission  has  secured  about  two 
acres  of  land,  including  the  prison-site.  By  the 
generous  gift  of  two  Am^^rican  Baptists  who 
recently  visited  Aungbinle,  a  neat  and  substantial 


"With  Persecutions"  223 

brick  chapel  has  been  erected  on  the  prison-site, 
as  nearly  as  can  be  determined.  A  little  farther 
back,  and  to  one  side,  is  the  Burman  preacher's 
house,  also  included  in  the  gift.  The  missionary, 
who  frequently  visits  the  village,  has  provided 
a  miniature  cottage  of  thatch-and-bamboo,  in 
which  to  rest  and  find  protection  from  the  mid- 
day heat.  As  one  attempts  to  realize  the  situa- 
tion as  it  was, — Judson  suffering  untold  agonies, 
aggravated  by  his  heartless  tormentors, — in  the 
miserable  prison  ;  Mrs.  Judson,  in  her  isolation 
and  friendlessness,  suffering  from'  privation,  in- 
tolerable heat,  disease,  and  the  yet  greater 
mental  suffering  on  account  of  her  husband  who 
might  at  any  moment  be  led  to  execution  before 
her  eyes, — the  picture  becomes  more  and  more 
terrible.  Then  as  we  turn  again  to  the  chapel 
and  preacher's  house  our  thoughts  rise  in  praise 
to  Him  who  has  wrought  these  changed  condi- 
tions. On  the  very  spot  where  the  innocent  and 
the  guilty  were  together  imprisoned  and  tortured, 
an  earnest  man  of  God,  of  the  same  race  as  the 
king  by  whose  order  these  men  suffered, — now 
proclaims  Jesus  Christ  as  the  world's  Saviour. 

As  I  turned  away  from  this  spot,  and  again  as 
I  passed  out  through  the  old  gateway  at  Ava,  it 
was  with  an  earnest  prayer  that  a  double  portion 
of  Judson's  spirit  might  rest  upon  his  successors 
in  this  heathen  land. 


X 

HEROES  AND  HEROINES 

IF  heroes  and  heroines  are  men  and  women 
who  have  shown  startling  quahties  in  time 
of  stress  and  strife,  many  such  may  be  found 
among  converts  from  heathenism.  The  ex- 
amples here  given  are  from  my  own  fellow 
workers. 

U  Po  Hline,  pastor  of  the  church  at  Pyinmana, 
is  well  known  in  the  Burman  mission.  A  con- 
spicuous figure  at  conventions  and  associations, 
his  massive  form,  intelligent  face,  and  dignified 
bearing  mark  him  a  "  Saul  among  his  brethren." 
But  U  Po  Hline's  interesting  history  is  not  so 
well  known.  His  early  life  was  spent  in  the 
yellow  robes  of  the  Buddhist  priesthood.  There 
he  learned  the  real  inwardness  and  emptiness  of 
the  ancestral  religion.  In  it  he  could  not  find 
that  which  could  satisfy  his  spiritual  sense ;  nor 
was  he  satisfied  to  lead  the  indolent,  selfish  life 
of  the  Buddhist  priest. 

But  familiarity  with  their  arguments  and  con- 
tents of  their  sacred  books,  gained  during  the 
years  of  monastic  life,  was  yet  to  be  turned 
to  good  account.  Casting  off  the  yellow  robes 
he  became  a  tiller  of  the  soil.  By  industry  and 
224 


Heroes  and  Heroines  225 

good  management  not  common  to  his  race,  he 
possessed  himself  of  rice-fields,  bullocks,  and 
buffaloes,  and  money  interests  among  the  vil- 
lagers where  he  hved. 

Loyalty  to  the  British  Indian  government 
never  has  been,  and  is  not  to-day  true  of  the 
mass  of  Burmans.  U  Po  Hline's  broader  intel- 
ligence led  him  not  only  to  accept  the  inevitable, 
but  also  to  see  what  benefits  would  accrue  to  his 
race  from  English  rule.  He  used  his  influence 
to  restrain  his  people  from  acts  of  violence,  and 
in  various  ways  lent  his  aid  to  the  progress  of 
law  and  order. 

In  those  troublous  times  he  had  an  adventure, 
of  which  he  never  speaks  unless  questioned  on 
the  subject.  Returning  from  Rangoon  where  he 
had  marketed  his  harvest  of  tsan, — unhulled  rice, 
— he  and  his  boatmen  were  attacked  by  dacoits. 
The  boatmen,  terrified  by  the  fiendish  yells  of 
these  desperate  dacoits,  threw  down  their  paddles 
and  would  have  tried  to  escape  by  taking  to  the 
water.     Not  so  U  Po  Hline. 

Neither  his  life  nor  his  rupees  were  to  be  taken 
so  easily.  Crawling  under  the  paufig,  he  seized 
his  rifle,  and, — to  use  his  own  words — "  Two 
of  the  dacoits  sank  in  the  water,  and  did  not  re- 
appear." The  tables  were  turned.  The  dacoits, 
now  as  badly  frightened  as  the  boatmen,  lost  no 
time  in  taking  to  the  brush.  U  Po  Hline  still 
remembers  the  adventure  with  the  sad  feeling 


226  Among  the  Burmans 

that  although  acting  in  self-defense,  he  sent  two 
souls  into  eternity  unprepared.  His  conversion 
is  especially  interesting.  A  copy  of  the  New 
Testament,  given  him  by  a  native  evangelist,  was 
the  means  of  shaking  his  faith  in  Buddhism ; 
and  of  awakening  a  desire  to  know  more  about 
the  "  Jesus  Christ  religion." 

Relating  the  circumstances  of  his  conversion 
he  said  :  "  I  kept  my  New  Testament  in  my 
jacket  pocket  wherever  I  went.  When  resting 
from  my  work  I  would  take  out  my  Testament 
and  read  a  little,  slowly  going  on  through 
Matthew,  Mark,  and  Luke, — but  I  understood 
nothing  of  what  I  read.  I  read  about  the  birth 
of  Jesus  Christ,  His  teaching.  His  wonderful 
miracles, — but  who  Christ  was  I  did  not  know. 
Then  I  came  to  John.  In  the  first  chapter  I 
read :  *  In  the  beginning  was  the  Word,  and 
the  Word  was  with  God  and  the  Word  was 
God.'  Then  a  Uttle  farther  down  I  read :  '  That 
Word  everything  created  ;  and  without  a  divine 
creating  was  not  so  much  as  one  thing.'  Is  that 
so,  I  said.  Did  that  Word  make  me  ?  and  not 
only  me,  but  everybody  and  everything  in  all 
this  great  world  ?  And  then  I  read  that  He  was 
the  Light,  and  the  Light  shines  in  the  darkness, 
and  the  darkness  would  not  receive  it.  Why,  I 
said,  that  is  just  the  way  it  is  here.  These  peo- 
ple are  in  the  dark,  and  will  not  believe  what  the 
preachers  of  the  Jesus  Christ  religion  say  to  them 


Heroes  and  Heroines  227 

"  Then  still  farther  down  I  read :  '  The  Word 
took  the  state  of  man,  and  lived  among  us.'  And 
as  I  read  on,  I  found  that  the  Word  that  was 
with  God,  and  was  God  ;  and  created  all  things ; 
and  became  flesh  and  lived  on  earth  was  the 
same  Jesus  Christ  that  I  had  been  reading  about 
in  Matthew,  Mark  and  Luke  !  I  went  home  and 
told  my  wife  that  I  had  become  a  Christian ;  and 
that  as  the  preacher  said  that  all  who  enter  the 
Jesus  Christ  n,'ligion  must  receive  the  dipping 
ceremony  I  am  going  to  get  baptism."  "  Were 
you  not  afraid  your  heathen  neighbours  would 
make  trouble  ?  "  I  asked  him.  "  What  trouble 
could  they  make,  teacher  ?  Nearly  all  of  them 
were  in  debt  to  me.  But  when  I  told  my  heathen 
wife,  she  was  very  angry,  and  said,  '  Very  well. 
If  you  want  to  be  baptized, — be  baptized, — but  I 
will  not  be  a  Jesus  Christ  wife.  I  never,  never 
will  live  with  you. '  Finding  that  she  would  not 
relent  I  said  :    '  Do  not  go  away. 

"'All  this  trouble  is  not  because  of  your  chang- 
ing, but  because  of  my  changing.  If  anybody 
is  to  suffer,  I  must  be  the  one  to  suffer.  There 
are  the  eleven  buffaloes,  and  the  six  rice-fields,  and 
the  house,  and  the  banana  garden, — take  every- 
thing,— only  let  me  have  the  thirty  rupees  in  the 
box,  and  I  will  go  away.  I  will  go  to  Toungoo. 
If  they  will  not  baptize  me  there,  I  will  go  to 
Henzada.  If  they  will  not  baptize  me  there,  I 
will  go  to  Bassein.     If  they  will  not  baptize  me 


228  Among  the  Burmans 

there,  I  will  go  to  Maulmein.'  I  had  taken  the 
Jesus  Christ  religion  with  my  whole  mind,  and  I 
was  determined  to  be  baptized."  This  was  no 
idle  boast. 

He  meant  just  what  he  said,  and,  like  Paul, 
was  ready  to  suffer  the  loss  of  everything,  that  he 
"  might  gain  Christ,  and  be  found  in  Him." 

His  example,  so  unlike  his  former  self,  soon 
softened  his  wife's  heart,  and  she  now  said : 
"  Never  mind,  do  as  you  like, — we  will  live 
together." 

Not  long  afterwards  she  too  became  a  Christian. 
Wherever  U  Po  Hline  went  he  fearlessly 
preached  Christ.  But  it  was  in  his  own  village 
that  his  influence  was  specially  felt.  His  faith- 
fulness and  success  seemed  sufficient  evidence  of 
a  call  to  the  ministry.  Greatly  needing  such 
helpers,  I  soon  arranged  for  him  to  give  his 
whole  time  to  evangelistic  work.  His  ordination, 
at  the  Pegu  Association  held  in  Toungoo  in 
1894, — will  long  be  remembered  by  the  mission- 
aries present. 

A  missionary  at  a  frontier  station  sent  a  re- 
quest that  an  ordained  preacher  be  furnished  to 
baptize  several  converts  already  gained,  and  to 
accompany  his  young  preachers  on  a  tour  among 
the  villages. 

The  matter  was  laid  before  U  Po  Hline,  and 
left  for  him  to  decide  whether  he  wished  to  go, 
or  could  stand  the  long  hard  journey  over  the 


Heroes  and  Heroines  229 

mountain  ranges.  Accepting  it  as  a  call  from 
God,  and  trusting  to  Him  for  strength,  he  got 
ready  and  started  at  once.  After  spending  a 
month  in  that  distant  field,  he  prepared  to  return 
to  his  home.  It  was  a  long  tramp  of  sixteen 
days.  The  missionary  gave  him  money  to  hire 
a  coolie  to  help  carry  his  load.  Besides  his  roll 
of  bedding,  cooking  utensils  and  food,  one  of 
the  young  preachers  had  given  him  three 
lacquer-ware  vessels,  as  presents  for  his  former 
teachers.  The  coolie  must  be  paid  in  advance, 
according  to  the  custom  of  the  country.  After 
going  a  few  miles  the  coolie  found  an  excuse  to 
get  out  of  U  Po  Hline's  sight,  and  ran  away, 
taking  the  money  with  him.  At  the  next  village 
another  coolie  was  engaged,  who  must  also  be 
paid  in  advance.  They  had  gone  but  a  short 
distance  when  he  too  ran  away.  U  Po  Hline 
was  now  without  money  to  pay  for  help,  so  he 
trudged  on  alone,  carrying  the  load  of  two. 

He  got  along  very  well  so  long  as  his  path  lay 
along  the  mountains.  But  when  he  descended 
into  the  plains  his  strength  gave  out,  and  he 
found  himself  burning  with  fever.  There  was 
no  other  way  than  to  plod  on,  as  he  was  now  far 
from  any  village.  Finding  himself  unable  to 
carry  all  of  his  double  load,  he  first  threw  away 
some  of  the  cooking  utensils. 

Growing  weaker,  he  threw  away  the  bottle  of 
oil  and  part  of  the  rice. 


230  Among  the  Burmans 

He  would  not  part  with  the  presents  that  had 
been  entrusted  to  his  care  for  the  teachers,  whom 
he  loved.  To  give  the  rest  of  the  story  in  his 
own  words :  — "  I  would  plod  on  until  my  legs 
would  sustain  me  no  longer.  Then  on  my  knees 
I  would  pray  :  '  O  Father,  I  have  been  away 
doing  Thy  work,  I  did  the  best  I  could,  now  give 
me  strength  to  reach  my  home.' 

"  Then  I  would  get  up  and  go  on  again  until, 
from  weakness,  I  fell  down  in  the  path.  Then  I 
would  pray  again :  '  O  Father,  I  have  been 
away  to  do  Thy  work.  I  did  the  very  best  I 
could.  Now  do  give  me  strength  to  reach  my 
home.'  So  I  went  on,  falling,  praying,  strug- 
gling on  again,  until  at  last  I  reached  the  cart- 
road,  and  joined  some  cartmen.  I  had  carefully 
saved  my  last  rupee  to  pay  my  fare  when  I 
should  come  to  the  railroad.  I  thought, — if  I 
must,  I  can  sell  my  silk  turban.  But  the  cart- 
men  were  kind,  and  gave  me  food,  while  I 
preached  to  them."  As  he  finished  his  story  he 
untied  the  bundle,  and  laid  the  lacquer-ware 
presents  at  our  feet,  utterly  unconscious  of  the 
fact  that  by  his  devotion  to  his  teachers,  and  to 
what  seemed  to  be  his  duty  he  had  shown  a 
spirit  of  true  heroism,  worthy  to  be  "  told  as  a 
memorial "  of  him. 

A  short  time  before  I  left  Burma  U  Po  Hline 
came  to  me  and  said,  "  Saya,  I  have  been  think- 
ing like  this  : — The  Apostle  Paul  said  to  the  Co- 


Heroes  and  Heroines  231 

rinthian  Christians,  '  Paul  planted,  ApoUos  wa- 
tered ;  but  God  gave  the  increase.'  When  Saya 
came  to  Pyinmana  thirteen  years  ago  there  was 
not  a  Christian  in  this  town  nor  in  all  this  great 
jungle.  No  nor  ever  had  been.  It  was  all  wild, 
the  dwelling  place  of  dacoits,  tigers,  bears,  and 
snakes.  Saya  has  been  planting  all  these  years. 
There  has  been  some  reaping,  to  be  sure, — but 
much  more  is  ready  for  reaping.  When  I  first 
came  to  Pyinmana,  wherever  I  showed  myself, 
in  Bazar  or  street,  the  people  would  call  to  one 
another :  '  Come  and  see  Jesus  Christ,  come  and 
see  Jesus  Christ'  '  Yes,'  I  would  say, '  I  am 
here  to  represent  Jesus  Christ.'  Sometimes  they 
would  listen  to  my  preaching,  but  often  they 
would  jeer  so  that  I  could  not  preach,  they  were 
so  ignorant  and  wild. 

"  But  now,  besides  our  little  company  of  Chris- 
tians, there  are  many  in  these  villages  who  listen 
attentively,  and  some  are  truly  '  considering.' 

"  Now  Saya  must  return  to  America,  and  an- 
other Saya  will  come.  Don't  go  away  discour- 
aged, Saya.  We  shall  soon  be  reaping  here. 
You  will  hear  about  it,  and  be  glad.  If  it  is 
God's  will  that  you  return  to  Burma,  you  will 
'  come  rejoicing.'  When  I  first  came  to  Pyin- 
mana,"— he  continued  ;  "  I  had  a  dream.  In  my 
dream  I  saw  great  fields  of  rice  on  three  sides  of 
this  town.  These  fields  were  turning  yellow, 
promising  an  early  and  large  harvest.     How  like 


232  Among  the  Burmans 

the  Bible,  is  my  dream,  I  thought.  This  dream 
strengthened  my  faith  and  made  me  glad.  God's 
time  is  not  yet  full,  but  I  believe  it  will  be  full 
soon.  This  Pyinmana  mission  is  Corinth.  Saya 
is  Paul.  Saya  has  planted,  the  coming  mission- 
ary will  be  Apollos,  to  water  the  planting.  God 
will  give  the  increase."  May  this  noble  Christian 
hero  live  many  years,  to  cheer  and  help  the  mis- 
sionaries, in  their  common  effort  to  dispel  the 
heathen  darkness. 

This  faithful  native  pastor  is  but  one  of  many 
who  hold  not  their  lives  dear  to  themselves  that 
they  may  accomplish  their  course  and  the  minis- 
try which  they  have  received  from  the  Lord 
Jesus,  to  testify  the  gospel  of  the  grace  of  God. 

Nan  Paw  was  born  in  Ya-bok-kon  village,  in 
the  year  1877, — so  she  thinks,  but  is  not  certain 
as  to  the  village  or  the  date.  When  we  first  saw 
her  she  was  an  orphan,  as  to  her  father ;  worse 
than  orphaned  as  to  her  heathen  mother.  Both 
Nan  Paw  and  her  elder  sister  had  already  been 
several  years  in  the  mission  school.  The  sister, 
Mai  Lone,  came  first.  Now  and  then  she  re- 
turned to  her  village  home  with  such  wonderful 
stories  of  tidy  white  jackets,  pretty  longyis  (skirts), 
clean  beds,  and  nice  new  books,  that  little  Nan 
Paw  wanted  to  come  too.  She  wanted  to  see  the 
big  "  white  mamma,"  and  enjoy  the  life  that  her 
sister  was  leading.  Mai  Lone  had  learned  to 
read, — a  wonderful  thing  for  a  girl  to  do.    Not  a 


Heroes  and  Heroines  233 

girl  in  the  whole  village  could  read,  no,  not  even 
her  own  mother  !  And  Mai  Lone  could  sing,  too  ! 
Little  Nan  Paw  sighed  for  these  privileges  and 
accomplishments,  and  was  a  heathen  no  longer. 
Never  again  could  she  know  contentment  among 
the  dogs  and  filth  and  degradation  of  her  own  vil- 
lage. But  in  vain  she  entreated  her  mother  to 
let  her  go  with  Mai  Lone  to  live  at  the  mission 
school.  Finding  that  her  pleadings  were  of  no 
avail,  she  took  the  matter  into  her  own  hands, 
and  ran  away.  The  mother  finding  her  little 
girl  settled  down  in  the  mission  dormitory  to 
stay,  finally  gave  her  consent.  When  we  came 
to  take  charge  of  the  school  Nan  Paw  had  al- 
ready overtaken  the  older  girls  in  her  studies. 
The  smallest  in  the  class,  she  was  head  and  shoul- 
ders above  them  all  in  brightness  and  winsome- 
ness.  To  see  her  was  to  love  her.  It  would  not  do 
to  make  a  pet  of  her,  for  petting  spoils  native 
children  as  quickly  as  kittens.  Quick  to  see  what 
needed  to  be  done,  and  how  to  do  it,  she  soon 
became  very  useful  about  the  house.  A  little 
later  a  Christian  Endeavour  Society  was  organ- 
ized. Nan  Paw  may  have  learned  to  love  Jesus 
before  this  ;  but  now,  with  several  others  she 
gave  herself  to  Him  fully  and  openly,  and  to  the 
great  joy  of  all,  was  baptized.  The  years  rolled 
by, — and  Nan  Paw,  having  passed  through  all  the 
grades  of  the  mission  school,  became  a  teacher. 
During  a  vacation  she  made  a  visit  to  some  of 


234  Among  the  Burmans 

her  heathen  relations  in  a  distant  village.  When 
the  school  reopened  she  did  not  return  to  her  du- 
ties. Several  weeks  had  passed  when  we  learned 
that  she  had  returned  to  her  mother's  village. 
We  sent  word  to  her  two  or  three  times,  urging 
her  to  return  to  the  school,  though  we  could  not 
compel  her  to  do  so.  At  last  one  of  the  Chris- 
tians went  to  her  home  to  ascertain,  if  possible, 
why  she  had  become  unfaithful  to  her  duties  as  a 
Christian  teacher.  He  brought  back  word  that 
something  was  the  matter  with  Nan  Paw.  When 
he  tried  to  talk  with  her  she  would  keep  her 
hands  covered,  and  try  to  conceal  her  face  behind 
her  scarf.  With  a  sad  face  he  said,  "  I  think  our 
Nan  Paw  is  a  leper." 

Measures  were  taken  at  once  to  ascertain  the 
facts.  Alas  it  was  too  true.  In  some  way  or 
other, — whether  by  heredity  or  contagion  we 
could  not  learn, — our  dear  Nan  Paw  had  become 
a  victim  to  that  terrible  disease.  How  our  hearts 
ached  for  her.  Now  we  knew  why  she  had  not 
returned  to  the  school.  While  we  were  fearing 
that  she  was  yielding  to  heathen  influences ;  and 
that  she  was  making  a  poor  return  for  all  the  af- 
fection we  had  bestowed  upon  her,  the  dear  girl's 
heart  was  nearly  breaking.  She  knew  that  she 
must  bid  farewell  to  her  pleasant  life  in  the  mis- 
sion, and  to  her  beloved  associates.  All  aspi- 
rations to  support  herself,  to  rise  in  her  chosen 
work,  to  be  respected,  to  marry  well — were  ut- 


Heroes  and  Heroines  235 

terly  crushed.  Henceforth  she  must  be  an  out- 
cast, despised  by  her  own  people.  Nothing  be- 
fore her  but  a  hving  death,  the  disease  steadily 
growing  upon  her,  until  fingers  and  toes  would 
waste  away,  her  whole  body  become  covered 
with  repulsive  sores, — and  no  power  on  earth 
could  help  her. 

After  a  time  arrangements  were  made  to  send 
her  to  the  Leper  Asylum  at  Mandalay,  over  two 
hundred  miles  away.  There,  under  the  direction 
of  the  missionary  in  charge  Nan  Paw  became  a 
teacher  of  others — afflicted  like  herself.  It  would 
not  have  been  strange  had  she  utterly  given  up 
to  despair, — and  sought  release  by  death.  But 
with  wonderful  submission  she  gave  herself  to 
Christian  work, — the  only  woman  in  the  asylum 
who  could  read  and  teach  the  Word  of 
God. 

Here  is  a  translation  of  one  of  Nan  Paw's  let- 
ters to  her  sister  : 

"  Sister,  to  you  a  letter  do  I  send.  By  the 
kindness  of  God  I  am  come  to  the  Home  for 
Lepers,  in  Mandalay.  Here  am  I  to  teach  His 
law,  and  in  teaching  it  I  am  glad.  For  this  pur- 
pose, I  am  persuaded,  has  He  brought  me  here. 
Whether  I  am  to  remain  all  my  life,  or  for  a  little 
while  I  know  not.  My  prayer  is  that  God  may 
quickly  take  me  to  Himself. 

**  Why  He  has  brought  this  affliction  upon  me  I 
do  not  know. 


236  Among  the  Burmans 

"  When  I  consider  (my  condition)  my  heart  is 
exceeding  sorrowful. 

"  The  teacher  has  been  very  kind,  and  spent 
much  money  upon  me.  The  physician  is  good. 
Now  in  all  things,  my  sister,  I  place  myself  in  the 
hand  of  God.  In  so  far  as  I  am  able  I  will  strive 
to  do  His  will.  That  I  may  be  happy  in  pro- 
claiming His  law,  will  you  ever  pray. 

"  Your  affectionate  sister, 

"  Nan  Paw." 

But  after  a  year  in  the  asylum  Nan  Paw 
longed  to  return  to  her  native  village.  This  she 
was  permitted  to  do.  The  disease  grew  worse 
and  worse. 

Her  people,  backed  by  the  village  priest,  then 
made  a  determined  effort  to  break  down  this 
poor  girl's  faith  in  Christ,  and  turn  her  again  to 
Buddhism.  They  knew  how  to  cure  the  disease, 
they  claimed,  and  would  cure  it  if  she  would 
worship  the  priest.  Pressed  beyond  endurance 
she  at  last  in  sheer  despair  prostrated  herself  be- 
fore the  priest  in  the  attitude  of  worship.  They 
then  gave  her  medicine  several  months,  the  dis- 
ease all  the  time  growing  upon  her.  Not  only 
the  terrible  leprosy  of  the  body,  but  her  soul  was 
troubled  with  the  thought  that  by  dishonouring 
her  Lord  she  had  become  leprous  with  sin. 

One  day  when  they  wanted  her  to  join  them 
in  their  heathen  worship  she  broke  out  in  great 
indignation  :    "  No  I  never  will  worship  like  that 


Heroes  and  Heroines  237 

again.  By  your  false  and  useless  promises  you 
made  me  deny  my  Lord.  But  from  this  time  I 
do  it  no  more.  I  turn  again  to  my  own  God, 
who  can  at  least  save  my  soul."  Again  Nan 
Paw  sent  word  that  she  wished  to  go  back  to  the 
asylum.  She  was  an  outcast  in  her  own  village, 
and  in  her  own  mother's  home.  No  one  dared 
to  see  her.  She  cared  to  see  no  one.  At  the 
Asylum  she  could  be  no  unhappier.  There 
all  would  be  alike  unfortunate, — birds  of  a 
feather  flock  together. 

I  immediately  arranged  for  her  return.  The 
native  Christians  contributed  generously  to  make 
up  the  required  sum.  As  Nan  Paw  would  be  a 
teacher,  the  superintendent  kindly  offered  to  pro- 
vide special  quarters  for  her,  apart  from  the  other 
lepers.  I  sent  word  to  Nan  Paw  that  I  wished 
to  see  her  before  she  went  away,  for  I  was  soon 
to  return  to  America,  and  might  never  see  her 
again  ;  that  I  loved  her  as  a  daughter,  just  the 
same  as  before  her  misfortune.  But  she  sent 
back  the  pathetic  reply  :  "  To  dear  teacher  this 
brief  letter  I  write.  That  God  may  pour  a  bless- 
ing upon  teacher  and  all  the  church  members  I 
am  praying. 

"  But  I  am  not  fit  to  be  seen.  To  show  my 
face  I  am  ashamed.  I  do  not  even  meet  my 
friends  in  the  village.  Therefore  please  excuse 
me.  By  the  half-past  eight  train  I  am  going  to 
Mandalay.     There  is  with  me  a  very  great  sor- 


238  Among  the  Burmans 

row.  In  no  place  is  there  any  gladness.  Only 
sorrow's  tears  are  ever  falling.  Now  because 
teacher,  by  the  favour  of  God,  is  trying  to  help 
me,  it  is  a  great  kindness.  And  teacher  has  writ- 
ten favourably  to  Mandalay  in  order  that  I  may  go. 
That  I  may  be  set  free  from  my  great  sorrow, 
and  that  God  may  speedily  gather  to  Himself  my 
soul,  ever  pray."  But  when  circumstances  made 
it  necessary  for  her  to  come  to  my  house  she 
overcame  her  fears,  and  in  the  dim  light  let  me 
talk  with  her,  face  to  face.  Again  I  assured  her 
that  "  Sayah  and  Mama  "  loved  her  the  same 
as  before ;  that  her  Saviour's  love  was  just 
the  same  ;  that  by  and  by  we  would  be  together 
in  heaven,  and  all  be  alike,  with  all  these  earthly 
distresses  left  behind. 

In  the  asylum  Nan  Paw  is  the  only  Christian 
woman  among  about  seventy-five  of  her  own  sex 
and  race.  Every  day  she  conducts  religious  ex- 
ercises ;  and  every  Sunday  she  stands  by  the  pul- 
pit in  the  chapel  to  set  forth  Christ  as  Saviour. 
After  she  had  been  there  a  few  weeks  she  sent 
back  this  letter :  "  Dearly  beloved  teacher.  I 
reverently  greet  you,  and  pray  that  God  may 
pour  His  Spirit  upon  you  and  all  the  Christians,  to 
do  His  work.  Especially,  according  to  teacher's 
efforts,  in  order  to  do  the  divine  work  in  this 
place, — by  God's  guidance  I  have  come. 

"  There  have  now  been  three  Sundays,  and  I  have 
preached.     The  first  Sunday  I  explained  Matt. 


Heroes  and  Heroines  239 

5  :  1-12.  The  second  Sunday  I  explained  John 
3:1-21.  The  third  Sunday  I  explained  Acts 
13:  1-12, — about  the  ruler's  faith  and  God's 
power.  God  planned  that  I  should  be  brought 
to  this  place.  Nevertheless,  teacher, — though  I 
seek  ease  of  mind  in  this  world,  I  find  only  dis- 
tress. Therefore  pray  that  God  may  speedily 
take  my  spirit.  Because  teacher, — according  to 
the  will  of  God,  has  helped  me,  I  praise  God's 
mercy. 

"  Your  daughter, 

"  Ma  Nan  Paw." 

In  this  child  of  the  jungle,  brought  to  Christ 
through  the  agency  of  the  mission  school, 
stricken  with  a  loathsome  disease  in  the  prime  of 
life  ;  submissively  bowing  to  the  will  of  God,  and 
striving  to  show  others  how  to  escape  from  the 
leprosy  of  sin,  we  see  the  true  martyr-spirit. 
One  day  the  Master  will  come  and  touch  her  with 
His  finger,  saying  "  Be  thou  clean,"  and  receive 
her  into  His  Paradise  above. 


XI 

PECULIAR  EXPERIENCES 

IT  is  well  for  the  weary  worker  in  a  strange 
land  that  with  the  austere  and  sublime,  there 
is  now  and  then  a  spicing  of  the  ridiculous. 
Happy  the  man  who  is  so  constituted  as  to 
appreciate  the  ridiculous  when  it  happens.  A 
few  such  instances  will  serve  to  illustrate  the 
many-sidedness  of  missionary  life.  The  first 
was  when  the  writer  was  a  new  missionary ; 
otherwise  it  might  not  have  happened.  The 
boarding-school  occupied  the  ground  floor  of 
the  mission  bungalow,  the  missionaries  living 
above  it.  One  day  a  great  commotion  was  heard 
in  the  schoolyard.  Looking  out  of  the  window, 
the  school  children  could  be  seen  scattering  in 
all  directions.  The  old  saying  "  Every  man  for 
himself,  and  the  devil  take  the  hindmost,"  was 
being  enacted  in  a  very  realistic  manner. 

Hard  after  the  "  hindmost "  was  a  demoniac, — 
a  crazy  Karen  woman. 

Evidently  the  children  had  been  teasing  her, 

but  oh  how  they  did  repent,  as  they  ran !     This 

terrible  creature  had  seized  a  short  bamboo,  and 

was  rushing  after  them  in  insane  fury.     Poising 

240 


Peculiar  Experiences  241 

it  like  a  spear,  she  hurled  it  endwise.  Happily 
it  missed  its  mark,  or  there  would  have  been 
a  name  or  two  to  strike  off  the  school  roll. 
Advancing  at  double-quick  I  got  between  the 
children  and  the  enemy  before  she  could  make 
another  charge.  Whether  by  faith  or  by  force 
I  must  now  cast  out  a  demon.  Pointing  to 
the  gate,  I  said  '' go!'  She  went  not.  ''Go,''  I 
repeated,  and  suiting  the  action  to  the  word, 
started  for  the  gate  with  my  incumbrance. 
Started, — only  that  and  nothing  more.  There 
seemed  to  be  two  opinions  as  to  ways  and  means. 
I  recalled  a  remark — "  The  natives  are  coming  to 
think  for  themselves."  It  must  be  true.  This 
particular  native  suddenly  collapsed,  sinking  to 
the  ground,  in  a  disgusting  heap  of  obstinacy. 
Filthy  beyond  description,  hair  matted  and  tan- 
gled, her  whole  person  so  covered  with  vermin 
that  she  was  scarcely  responsible  for  her  move- 
ments,— what  to  do  with  her  I  was  at  a  loss  to 
know.  It  was  a  larger  contract  than  had  been 
bargained  for.  Something  must  be  done,  or  the 
missionary  would  lose  prestige  with  the  school, 
and  be  subjected  to  repeated  annoyances  by  this 
crazy  woman.  Picking  her  up  by  main  strength, 
we  started  again.  There  was  a  short  struggle  at 
the  corner  of  the  house,  where  she  grasped  a 
post  with  both  arms,  and  held  on  with  the  te- 
nacity of  an  octopus.  Disengaging  her  from 
the  post,  I  thought  to  get  up  sufficient  momentum 


242  Among  the  Burmans 

to  carry  her  safely  through  the  gate,  but  failed. 
Again  there  was  a  tug  of  war.  Again  might  made 
right,  and  our  unsavoury  guest  gave  up  the  strug- 
gle. Casting  back  a  wild  but  vanquished  look, 
she  departed,  never  to  come  back. 

We  will  pass  to  the  "  hot  season  "  of  our  sec- 
ond year. 

The  missionaries  of  the  station  were  spending 
a  few  weeks  of  it  on  a  mountain  twenty  miles 
from  town.  One  mission  building  was  in  proc- 
ess of  construction, — work  that  demanded  fre- 
quent inspection.  To  look  after  this  work  I 
must  make  the  round  trip  of  forty  miles  once 
a  week,  while  resting.  At  one  time,  passing 
through  a  Karen  village,  the  pastor  lent  me  his 
pony  for  the  journey.  On  reaching  town  I 
threw  the  lines  to  a  schoolboy,  who  unsaddled 
the  pony  and  turned  it  loose  in  the  compound. 
When  ready  to  return  to  the  mountains  it  was 
found  that  the  pony  had  walked  out  through  an 
open  gate,  and  was  missing.  Search  was  made, 
but  the  pony  was  nowhere  to  be  seen.  While 
waiting  for  the  day  to  cool,  the  pony  returned  of 
his  own  accord,  and  came  trotting  into  the  com- 
pound. This  was  luck  indeed.  The  schoolboy 
quickly  saddled  and  bridled  the  pony,  and  away 
I  went,  anxious  to  make  up  the  time  I  had  lost. 
Arriving  at  the  Karen  village  I  hitched  the  pony 
under  the  owner's  house.  A  grown-up  daugh- 
ter   sitting    on    the    stairs,    modestly    inquired 


Peculiar  Experiences  243 

"  Where  is  our  pony  ? "  "  What's  the  matter 
with  this  pony  ? "  I  asked.  "  Our  pony  is  a 
nialel'  she  said.  The  missionary  took  off  his 
hat.  He  scratched  his  head.  It  was  dawning 
upon  him  that  he  was  in  a  pretty  mess.  If  this 
is  not  the  pony  I  borrowed,  then  where  is  he  ? 
and  whose  pony  have  I  stolen  ?  And  where 
shall  I  find  the  money  to  pay  for  the  other  pony, 
if  not  recovered, — which  is  an  even  chance  ?  how 
shall  I  explain  being  in  possession  of  this  one, 
if  called  to  account?  It  did  not  take  long  for 
these  questions  to  go  through  my  mind.  The 
case  called  for  prompt  action,  but  my  empty 
stomach  was  calling  for  food.  Mounting  the 
stolen  pony  I  proceeded  up  the  mountain.  Be- 
fore reaching  camp,  the  Karen  pastor's  son  came 
hurrying  up  the  path,  riding  on  the  lost  pony. 
The  pony  had  returned  to  his  own  village,  fifteen 
miles,  afoot  and  alone.  One  problem  was  solved, 
and  my  mind  relieved  to  that  extent.  But  in 
the  eye  of  the  law,  should  the  law  find  it  out, — 
I  was  a  criminal,  for  my  explanation  might  or 
might  not  be  accepted.  As  the  sun  was  going 
down,  one  of  the  larger  schoolboys  who  was  at 
the  camp, — started  back  to  town  with  the  other 
pony.  I  gave  him  a  letter  addressed  to  the  po- 
hce,  taking  upon  myself  the  responsibility.  The 
boy  was  not  to  trouble  the  police  if  the  police 
did  not  trouble  him.  Going  by  the  most  un- 
frequented roads,  he  arrived  in  town  before  mid- 


244  Among  the  Burmans 

night.  Turning  the  pony  loose  where  first  seen, 
he  hurried  back  to  the  mountain  as  fast  as  his 
legs  would  carry  him,  reaching  camp  before  sun- 
rise. The  missionary  never  knew  whose  pony  he 
had  taken.  It  is  doubtful  whether  the  owner  ever 
missed  it. 

At  one  time  I  was  passing  through  an  un- 
familiar jungle  accompanied  by  a  cooHe,  who  also 
acted  as  guide.  Darkness  was  coming  on  and 
good  time  must  be  made,  or  we  must  spend  the 
night  in  the  jungle. 

Coming  to  a  place  where  two  roads  met,  I 
chose  the  right  hand  road  but  the  guide  insisted 
that  the  left  hand  road  was  the  one  to  take.  The 
missionary  reluctantly  yielded  to  the  coolie's  bet- 
ter knowledge  of  the  jungle  paths.  We  went  on 
and  on,  but  instead  of  coming  out  into  open 
country,  the  jungle  grew  more  and  more  dense. 
We  were  lost.  It  was  now  pitch  dark,  so  that 
even  the  wrong  road  could  no  longer  be  followed. 
There  was  nothing  left  but  to  spend  the  night 
where  we  were.  Just  as  we  had  made  up  our 
minds  to  this,  I  caught  sight  of  a  light,  through 
the  trees.  Groping  our  way  ahead  we  discovered 
that  we  were  near  a  small  Karen  village.  In  re- 
sponse to  our  shouts  two  men  came  to  meet  us, 
with  guns  and  torches.  They  were  Christian 
Karens,  and  glad  to  find  that  the  belated  guest 
was  a  missionary,  rather  than  a  dacoit.  I  soon 
made  myself  at  home  with  the  family  and  until 


Peculiar  Experiences  245 

a  late  hour  friendly  conversation  was  kept  up, 
through  the  medium  of  Burmese.  The  children 
were  brought  to  be  inspected  and  praised.  The 
baby,  several  months  old,  had  not  been  named. 
Wouldn't  the  teacher  please  give  the  baby  a 
name  ?  It  is  quite  customary  for  the  Karens  to 
ask  their  missionaries  to  name  the  babies.  To 
this  particular  missionary,  whose  work  was  wholly 
among  Burmans,  it  was  a  unique  experience. 
He  had  a  dear  relative  in  the  home-land,  named 
Julia.  She  should  be  honoured  with  a  namesake. 
"  Please  write  it  out,  because  we  might  forget  it," 
they  said.  But  there  was  not  a  scrap  of  paper 
in  the  house.  Taking  the  cover  from  one  of  my 
lunch  cans  the  name  was  carefully  scratched  on 
the  inside  with  a  pocket  knife,  and  handed  over 
to  be  laid  up  in  the  family  archives.  At  last  the 
baby  had  a  name,  and  the  mother  was  happy. 
Now  it  was  time,  and  long  past  time,  to  get  a 
little  sleep.  The  best  mat  was  unrolled  and 
spread  in  the  open  front,  for  the  teacher.  In  the 
coohe's  baskets  was  a  change  of  clothing,  greatly 
needed  after  the  dust  and  perspiration  of  this 
long  day, — but  how  could  clothing  be  changed  ? 
— Nor  husband  nor  wife  nor  daughter  would  re- 
tire until  they  should  see  how  the  teacher  did  it. 
The  natives  themselves  usually  sleep  in  the  same 
clothes  they  have  worn  all  day.  Is  a  change  de- 
sired they  have  only  to  put  on  an  extra  longyi 
— skirt,  and  let  the  inner  skirt  fall  to  the  floor. 


246  Among  the  Burmans 

They  have  no  idea  how  the  white  people  are 
dressed,  until  they  see  them  undress.  Such  an 
event  is  too  rare  to  be  missed.  Husband,  wife, 
and  grown-up  daughters  will  stand  by,  with  all 
the  interest  of  a  medical  class  in  a  dissecting 
room,  while  he  takes  himself  apart,  picking  up 
each  piece  as  he  lays  it  off,  with  comments  such 
as  only  the  untutored  child  of  the  jungle  would 
ever  think  of.  There  was  no  help  for  it, — so, 
kicking  off  my  shoes,  I  stretched  out  as  I  was, 
with  my  saddle  for  a  pillow.  The  family  then 
retired,  but  evidently  feeling  that  they  had  not 
seen  their  money's  worth. 

Wishing  to  enjoy  the  luxury  of  a  bath  in  a 
stream,  one  is  sometimes  obliged  to  wander  off 
in  the  opposite  direction,  to  throw  the  villagers 
off  the  scent.  Were  his  purpose  known,  he 
would  have  so  many  of  the  native  maidens  at  his 
heels,  as  to  render  the  situation  somewhat  em- 
barrassing. 

At  break  of  day  we  were  conducted  through 
the  jungle  by  a  short  cut  to  the  path  we  should 
have  followed.  Having  no  opportunity  to  re- 
visit that  village,  I  never  knew  what  became  of 
httle  "  U-lee." 

Another  experience  was  certainly  interesting 
at  the  time,  and  might  have  been  the  last,  with 
no  one  to  describe  it.  Returning  alone  from  a 
jungle  tour,  I  reached  a  river  at  nine  o'clock  at 
night. 


Peculiar  Experiences  247 

There  was  no  moon,  but  the  stars  were  shin- 
ing. The  opposite  bank,  high  and  steep,  could 
be  dimly  seen  against  the  sky.  During  the 
floods  of  the  rainy  season  the  bank  had  caved 
off,  so  that  neither  man  nor  beast  could  ascend 
it.  The  natives  had  dug  out  a  narrow  path  diag- 
onally up  the  bank.  In  the  darkness  this  path 
could  not  be  seen  from  the  other  side.  Two 
Burmans,  who  were  fishing  by  torchlight,  pointed 
out  the  direction  in  which  the  path  would  be 
found.  Taking  a  star  to  steer  by,  I  forced  the 
pony  into  the  river.  Soon  the  water  became  too 
deep  for  fording,  and  I  felt  the  rather  uncomfort- 
able sensation  of  riding  in  the  saddle  on  a  swim- 
ming pony.  By  daylight  it  would  not  have  been 
so  serious,  though  the  current  was  strong.  In 
the  darkness  and  alone,  it  was  not  so  pleasant  to 
be  in  deep  water,  in  mid-river. 

The  pony  struggled  bravely  on  until  he  reached 
the  bank,  and  scrambled  up  on  a  ledge  of  joint- 
clay.  There  was  no  path  to  be  seen.  The  pony 
had  landed  in  a  little  cove  where  the  perpendicu- 
lar bank  rose  from  the  water's  edge.  Back  into 
the  river  he  must  go.  This  he  refused  to  do. 
Getting  between  the  pony  and  the  wall  I  pushed 
him  off  the  ledge,  springing  into  the  saddle  as  he 
went  down.  The  pony  was  then  headed  up 
stream,  first  swimming  around  a  tree  that  had 
fallen  into  the  river.  No  path  to  be  found  in 
that    direction.      Returning   down-stream,   now 


248  Among  the  Burmans 

wading,  now  swimming — the  path  was  found  at 
last. 

A  thankful  missionary  sat  down  on  the  bank 
under  the  twinkling  stars,  and  wrung  the  water 
out  of  his  clothes  as  best  he  could,  before  con- 
tinuing his  journey. 

The  missionary  candidate  dreams  of  the  time 
when  he  will  break  the  bread  of  life  to  the 
heathen.  His  dream  will  be  realized,  in  time, — 
but  he  will  do  a  great  many  other  things,  of 
which  he  never  dreamed. 

He  may  not  know  a  plane  from  a  plummet, 
yet  there  are  houses  to  build,  and  he  must  be 
both  architect  and  superintendent.  He  must 
understand,  or  learn  to  understand  everything 
that  pertains  to  the  upkeep  and  conduct  of  a  large 
mission,  with  its  many-sided  work.  Fie  may  not 
know  the  use  of  the  simplest  remedies,  but  must 
be  doctor  for  scores,  and  perhaps  hundreds  of 
people.  The  writer  had  this  to  go  through,  and 
some  of  his  earlier  patients  still  live  to  tell  how 
much  quicker  they  might  have  recovered  if  the 
teacher  had  not  treated  them. 

On  one  occasion  a  boy  came  for  medicine.  He 
looked  very  thin  and  weak.  He  wanted  medi- 
cine for  fever  and  diarrhcea.  The  usual  questions 
were  asked  as  to  frequency  of  attacks,  etc. 
When  the  medicine  had  been  prepared  the 
missionary  said :  "  You  take  one  dose  now, 
and   another   when   you    retire "  when  the 


Peculiar  Experiences  249 

boy  spoke  up,  "  Oh,  no, — it  is  not  for  tne,  it's  for 
mother." 

A  pupil  in  the  school  had  frequent  fits.  The 
Buddhist  priest  said  that  an  evil  spirit  had  taken 
up  his  abode  in  the  boy.  His  people  came  to 
me,  saying  that  the  priest  had  tried  to  cast  out 
the  evil  spirit,  but  had  failed.  •'  Bring  him  to 
me,"  I  said,  "  I  will  cast  the  spirit  out."  He 
came,  swallowed  a  strong  vermifuge,  and  a  dose 
of  castor  oil,  putting  an  end  to  his  demoniacal 
antics. 

One  of  the  saddest  times  in  the  missionary's 
life  is  when  he  must  lay  down  his  work,  and  take 
an  imperatively  needed  change  in  the  home-land. 
That  it  will  be  no  small  loss  to  himself, — in  the 
inevitable  sacrifice  of  household  effects, — is  the 
least  of  his  anxieties.  But  even  in  this  experience 
he  will  find  a  silver  lining  to  his  cloud,  as  he  turns 
it  over.  A  fellow-worker  once  unwittingly  helped 
us  to  a  hearty  laugh, — ^just  when  we  were  most 
needing  such  a  reaction. 

Boxes  had  been  packed,  and  were  being  duly 
labelled  for  the  home  voyage.  One  piece,  to  be 
stowed  in  the  hold  of  the  steamer,  had  just  been 
marked  with  black  paint.  Our  friend  sat  down 
on  this  box  during  his  brief  call,  none  of  us  think- 
ing of  the  fresh  label.  As  he  turned  to  go  we 
saw  plainly  stamped  in  reverse  order  across  his 
white  duck  pants — "  not  wanted." 


XII 

OBSTACLES 

TO  many  minds  there  is  great  fascination 
in  the  thought  of  self-sacrifice.  Separa- 
tion from  native  land  and  loved  ones,  to 
spend  one's  life  in  a  strange  land,  among  unciv- 
ilized people  savours  of  renunciation  more  than 
human.  The  high  plane  of  spirituality,  already 
attained,  would  be  easily  perpetuated. 

Cut  off  from  everything  that  had  stood  ready 
to  prey  upon  one's  weaknesses,  those  weaknesses 
would  no  longer  have  to  be  guarded  against. 

In  a  life  devoted  to  ministering  spiritual  things 
to  people  who  have  as  yet  no  spiritual  concep- 
tions there  would  be  reflex  blessings  furnishing 
all  the  spiritual  help  one  would  need.  In  short, 
the  missionary  is  looked  upon  as  belonging  to  a 
peculiar  order  of  beings,  almost  supernatural, 
dwelling  in  a  sort  of  seventh  heaven  of  immunity 
from  difficulties  against  which  the  ordinary  soul 
must  contend. 

In  calling  attention  to  certain  hindrances,  it  is 
to  guard  against  romantic  notions.     The  depress- 
ing  influence   of  life  among  a  heathen  people 
hangs  over  one  like  a  cloud. 
250 


Obstacles  251 

The  natives  are  so  sodden  in  vice,  so  wedded 
to  their  idols,  so  prejudiced  against  all  foreign 
religions,  so  dull  of  head  and  slow  of  heart  to  un- 
derstand and  believe.  At  times  it  may  seem  to 
be  all  sowing  and  no  reaping, — enough  to  dis- 
hearten the  most  faithful  worker. 

To  "  sit  in  the  shade  of  a  palm-tree,  and  break 
the  bread  of  life  to  hands  eagerly  outstretched  to 
receive  it" — is  not  an  every-day  experience. 

Sunday  by  Sunday  the  native  Christians  as- 
semble in  the  chapel  for  worship.  The  new  mis- 
sionary joins  them.  Here  he  will  not  be  dis- 
tressed by  the  degradation  of  the  heathen  with- 
out. His  heart  will  be  glad  as  he  sees  these  peo- 
ple, rescued  from  idolatry,  worshipping  the  true 
God.  He  cannot  understand  what  is  said,  but  he 
can  join  in  silent  prayer.  It  is  intensely  interest- 
ing, for  a  few  Sundays.  But  after  a  time  these 
services,  in  which  he  is  utterly  unable  to  take 
other  than  a  silent  part,  will  be  found  inadequate 
to  meet  his  spiritual  need. 

It  will  be  two  years  or  more,  before  the  mis- 
sionary can  join  in  all  parts  of  their  worship. 
During  this  time  h^  will  often  remember  with 
deep  longing  the  privilege  of  his  own  church  in 
the  far  away  home-land.  In  fact,  worship  with 
people  of  another  race  and  tongue  never  quite 
meets  one's  spiritual  requirements.  Constant  out- 
flow, without  corresponding  inflow  will  run  any 
pool  dry.     Then  he  will  find  himself  so  over- 


252  Among  the  Burmans 

whelmed  with  work,  perplexed  by  financial  cares, 
hindered  by  innumerable  interruptions  that  it 
will  seem  almost  impossible  to  find  time  to  put 
forth  special  effort  by  reading,  meditation,  and 
prayer,  for  the  maintenance  and  upbuilding  of 
his  own  spiritual  life. 

One's  very  zeal  for  the  kingdom  of  Christ  may 
dwarf  one's  fellowship  with  Christ.  No  matter 
how  sound  in  theory,  loyal  in  spirit,  or  vigorous 
in  action,  there  will  come  periods  of  reaction, 
though  not  of  discouragement.  "  Tired  in,  not 
of  the  work."  The  discouraged  missionary  is  yet 
to  be  found.  "  He  shall  not  fail,  nor  be  discour- 
aged— till  He  has  set  judgment  in  the  earth." 
Often  enough  to  keep  him  keyed  up  to  his  work 
he  will  be  blessed  with  the  privilege  of  witness- 
ing that  which  never  loses  its  fascinating  interest, 
— the  wonderful  transformation  of  human  souls, 
by  the  power  of  the  Holy  Spirit. 

Other  matters  however  interesting,  are  but 
side-lights  ;  other  experiences,  however  trying,  are 
soon  forgotten  in  the  joy  of  seeing,  and  in  a 
measure  being  instrumental  in  the  advancement  of 
Christ's  kingdom. 

With  a  heart  warm  with  love  for  Christ ;  warm 
with  love  for  souls ;  full  of  zeal  for  soul  winning; 
the  missionary  is  safe.  But  all  these  passions  he 
must  bring  with  him,  rather  than  depending  upon 
their  being  developed  in  and  by  service  in  a 
foreign  land. 


Obstacles  253 

Dr.  Judson,  after  nineteen  years  in  Burma, 
writing  to  a  foreign  missionary  association  of 
young  men  said :  "  Beware  of  the  greater  re- 
action which  will  take  place  after  you  have 
acquired  the  language,  and  become  fatigued  and 
worn  out  with  preaching  the  gospel  to  a  dis- 
obedient and  gainsaying  people.  You  will  some- 
times long  for  a  quiet  retreat,  where  you  can  find 
a  respite  from  the  tug  of  toiling  at  native  work, — 
the  incessant,  intolerable  friction  of  the  mission- 
ary grindstone.  And  Satan  will  sympathize  with 
you  in  this  matter,  and  he  will  present  some 
chapel  of  ease,  in  which  to  officiate  in  your 
native  tongue,  some  government  situation,  some 
professorship  or  editorship,  some  literary  or 
scientific  pursuit,  some  supernumerary  trans- 
lation, or,  at  some  system  of  schools ;  anything, 
in  a  word,  that  will  help  you,  without  much  sur- 
render of  character,  to  slip  out  of  real  missionary 
work. 

"  Such  a  temptation  will  form  the  crisis  of  your 
disease.  If  your  spiritual  constitution  can  sus- 
tain it,  you  recover ;  if  not,  you  die." 

Missionary  views  have  undergone  some  change 
since  Judson's  time, — for  instance, — "  some  sys- 
tem of  schools  "  has  come  to  be  regarded  as  a 
necessary  and  fruitful  part  of  missionary  work. 
Moreover,  instead  of  furnishing  sweet  release 
from  the  "  friction  of  the  missionary  grindstone," 
in  the  school  its  rubs  are  hardest.     The  great 


2  5*4  Among  the  Burmans 

temptation  now  is  to  abandon  school  work,  to 
engage  in  "  direct  evangelistic  work  "  exclusively. 

But  the  principal  remains  the  same.  Talk 
about  the  hardships  of  pioneering ;  pioneering  is 
a  picnic  as  compared  with  the  year-in-and-year-out 
routine  of  school  work.  In  boarding-schools 
there  is  added  to  the  all-day  work  the  all-night 
anxiety  concerning  the  moral  welfare  of  the 
pupils.  Sick  or  well,  strong  or  weak  and  weary, 
the  work  is  there,  and  must  be  accomplished. 
The  dormitories  are  full  of  boys  and  girls,  and 
constant  care  is  the  price  of  discipline. 

Nearly  every  day  some  are  on  the  sick  list, 
and  must  be  visited,  and  remedies  administered 
under  the  missionary's  own  eye.  In  serious 
cases  the  missionary  becomes  the  watcher.  I 
have  in  mind  an  instance  when  the  cholera  broke 
out  in  a  neighbouring  mission  school.  The  lady 
in  charge  of  the  school  took  several  girls  into 
her  own  house,  nursed  them  day  and  night,  in 
addition  to  her  regular  work,  and  brought  them 
safely  through  the  crisis.  But  at  what  a  cost.  A 
few  days  later  a  company  of  sorrow -stricken 
missionaries  were  gathered  around  her  grave, 
with  difficulty  restraining  their  emotion  to  con- 
duct the  burial  service. 

A  beloved  sister  had  fallen,  as  truly  a  martyr 
as  ever  gave  a  life  to  the  Master's  service. 

The  climate  of  Burma  is  peculiarly  trying. 

Arriving    in    November,   as    most    all   new- 


Obstacles  255 

comers  do,  everything  is  seen  at  its  best.  The 
rainy  season  has  passed,  leaving  a  placid  smile 
on  the  face  of  nature.  The  nights  are  cool. 
Friends  will  see  that  the  newcomer  keeps  in  the 
shade  from  eleven  o'clock  in  the  morning  until 
five  in  the  afternoon, — for  a  tropical  sun  can  be 
depended  on  to  do  his  duty  at  that  time  of  day, 
the  year  round.  As  the  season  advances  the 
nights  become  cooler,  and  towards  morning  a 
chilling  fog  sets  in. 

The  preceding  afternoon  having  been  hot,  one 
retires  in  a  perspiration,  every  pore  open,  finally 
dropping  off  to  sleep — without  any  covering, 
save  his  pajamas.  With  the  coming  of  the  fog 
there  is  a  sudden  drop  in  temperature,  and  one  is 
fortunate  if  he  does  not  wake  up  in  a  chill,  and 
have  the  doctor  for  his  first  morning  caller. 

Persons  with  weak  lungs  find  this  the  most 
trying  season  of  the  year.  But  this  is  the  "  cold 
season,"  and  the  time  when  missionary  work  out 
in  the  district  must  be  vigorously  pressed.  Away 
through  the  Karen,  Shan,  Chin,  and  Kachin  hills, 
missionaries  push  their  way.  In  the  plains  other 
missionaries  are  doing  their  best  to  reach  as  many 
villages  as  possible  before  the  "  hot  season  "  sets 
in.  Work  which  ought  to  close  early  in  March, 
if  the  missionary's  health  is  considered,  is  often 
continued  until  April.  But  this  is  done  at  the 
expense  of  health,  and  shortens  one's  term  of 
service.     At  least  one  month  of  the  hot  season 


256  Among  the  Burmans 

must  be  spent  at  some  mountain  resort  to  escape 
the  heat,  secure  needed  rest,  or  for  neglected 
literary  work,  if  strength  permits.  It  is  not  in 
the  power  of  flesh  to  work  on  twelve  months  in 
the  year,  in  the  heated  plains,  without  sacrificing 
strength  that  might  be  more  wisely  conserved. 

After  a  serious  illness,  I  spent  a  few  weeks 
alone  in  a  mountain  camp,  during  my  last  hot 
season  in  Burma.  Several  great  vultures  kept  me 
company  by  roosting  in  a  tree  close  by,  every 
night  for  a  week. 

My  rapid  improvement  did  not  furnish  an  en- 
couraging prospect,  and  they  left.  The  fact  that 
they  had  occupied  the  tree  before  I  came  to 
occupy  the  camp,  did  not  make  their  presence 
much  less  suggestive. 

By  the  middle  of  May  the  "  Southwest  mon- 
soon "  sets  in.  Then  for  five  months  it  is  rain, 
rain,  rain.  But  though  enough  rain  falls  to 
inundate  a  country  less  amply  provided  with 
natural  drainage,  the  awful  heat  continues. 
Clouds  shut  out  the  sun  much  of  the  time,  but 
the  steamy  heat  is  exceedingly  enervating. 
Clothing  and  bedding  are  clammy  from  the  ex- 
cessive dampness.  Shoes  taken  off  at  night  are 
mouldy  in  the  morning.  The  unavoidable  ruin 
of  shelves  of  fresh  new  books  from  the  home-land 
is  enough  to  break  one's  heart,  unless  he  has 
grace  to  take  joyfully  the  spoiling  of  his  goods. 
But  as  a  merciful  provision  against  allowing  the 


Obstacles  257 

mind  to  dwell  on  such  misfortunes,  the  "  prickly 
heat "  {lichen  tropicus)  with  which  one's  body  is 
covered,  will  demand  frequent  attention.  The 
rainfall  varies  in  different  parts  of  the  country. 

In  Maulmain  and  Sandoway  the  annual  rain- 
fall is  about  two  hundred  and  fifty  inches.  In 
Rangoon  the  precipitation  is  about  two  thirds  of 
that  amount.  Mandalay  is  in  the  dry  belt  where 
the  rainfall  is  very  light,  and  irrigation  is  re- 
sorted to  for  cultivation.  But  still  farther  north, 
at  Bhamo,  the  rainfall  is  heavy. 

The  every-day  display  of  wild  beasts,  reptiles, 
and  insect  life  is  rather  disappointing  to  the 
newcomer. 

In  the  year  1902  only  seventy-three  people 
were  reported  as  killed  by  wild  beasts,  and  1,123 
by  snakes  and  poisonous  insects.  But  we  find 
that  4,194  cattle  were  killed  by  tigers;  1,386 
were  killed  by  leopards;  six  by  bears,  twenty- 
eight  by  wolves,  and  4,986  by  snakes.  More 
cattle  were  killed  by  snakes  in  Burma  than  in  all 
the  rest  of  India.  Doubtless  many  such  deaths 
in  remote  places,  are  not  reported  at  all. 

Under  a  certain  Christian  chapel  when  the 
ground  was  covered  by  a  flood,  an  average  of 
six  centipedes  were  counted  on  each  post. 

Other  localities  are  equally  favoured,  but  they 
are  scattered  about,  in  piles  of  lumber,  under 
old  boxes,  and  wherever  they  can  secrete  them- 
selves, now  and  then  one  appearing  in  a  corner 


258  Among  the  Burmans 

closet  or  crawling  on  the  floor.  On  one  occasion 
when  about  to  take  my  family  out  for  a  walk 
two  scorpions  must  first  be  dispatched. 

They  were  found  on  the  inside  of  our  little 
boy's  jacket,  taken  from  a  nail  on  the  wall. 
Cobras  and  vipers  sometimes  find  their  way  into 
houses, — but  this  happens  more  frequently  in 
India  than  in  Burma.  These  reptiles,  though 
not  often  seen,  are  known  to  be  about,  so  that 
some  degree  of  caution  is  in  order  at  all  times. 
The  general  practice  of  elevating  the  house- 
floor  several  feet  from  the  ground  greatly  lessens 
the  number  of  these  unwelcome  visitors. 

Not  even  the  newcomer  complains  of  a 
scarcity  of  the  far-famed  white  ants.  Should  he 
fail  to  appreciate  their  numbers  and  powers,  an 
experience  similar  to  that  recorded  in  "  The 
Bishop's  Conversion"  will  make  him  wish  he 
had  heeded  the  warnings  of  older  residents. 

Each  queen  is  said  to  deposit  about  three 
million  eggs  a  year.  As  they  do  their  house- 
keeping and  rear  their  antlets  underground, 
a  tropical  sun  making  the  hive  a  first-class 
incubator,  the  success  of  each  colony  is  well 
assured.  During  the  day  myriads  of  other  kinds 
of  ants  may  be  seen,  but  not  a  white  ant  shows 
his  head. 

Leave  an  old  box  on  the  ground  over  night, 
and  in  the  morning  thousands  of  these  destruc- 
tive insects  will  be  found  underneath,  eating  the 


Obstacles  259 

bottom  out  of  it.  Some  of  the  houses  built  by 
the  early  missionaries,  who  had  not  learned  the 
likes  and  dislikes  of  the  white  ant,  were  destroyed 
in  a  few  years.  But  a  house  made  wholly  of 
ant-proof  timber  does  not  insure  one  against 
their  ravages.  Under  cover  of  the  darkness 
they  send  out  their  spies.  The  house  is  searched 
from  foundation  to  garret.  They  make  careful 
note  of  the  location  of  deal-boxes,  book-shelves 
and  other  tempting  articles,  smack  their  lips,  and 
return  to  give  their  report.  The  floor  of  nearly 
all  residences  is  ten  feet  or  more  above  the 
ground,  the  lower  part  being  left  unoccupied. 
The  ants,  directed  by  their  engineers,  select  a 
post,  and  rapidly  build  a  covered  way,  about  the 
size  of  half  a  split  lead-pencil,  up  its  side.  Sand, 
made  sticky  by  glue  from  their  mouths,  is  the 
material  used.  Reaching  the  floor  the  path  is 
continued  along  a  crack  in  the  floor,  finally 
coming  out  under  or  behind  the  article  selected 
for  destruction.  Unless  something  wanted  leads 
to  their  discovery,  their  work  will  go  on  until 
chest  and  contents  are  utterly  ruined.  Return- 
ing from  a  three  weeks'  absence,  I  found  several 
of  my  choicest  books  riddled  by  these  pests.  In 
place  of  valuable  marginal  notes  that  could  not  be 
restored  was  a  paste  of  sand.  Such  an  experi- 
ence is  not,  at  first  flush,  conducive  to  spirituality. 
Rather  it  makes  one  sigh  for  a  more  expressive 
vocabulary,  adapted   to  his  profession.     While 


26o  Among  the  Bur  mans 

superintending  the  work  of  demolishing  an  old 
mission  house  five  heavy  timbers  fell  all  at  once, 
on  as  many  sides  of  me.  These  timbers  ap- 
peared to  be  securely  fastened,  but  white  ants 
had  eaten  away  the  wood  so  that  nails  and  bolts 
had  no  hold.  The  building  had  been  condemned 
as  unsafe  over  and  over,  but  for  want  of  other 
shelter  had  been  occupied  by  a  missionary 
family  until  the  day  before.  It  was  little  less 
than  a  miracle  that  the  heavy  roof  had  not 
crushed  down  over  their  heads. 

The  most  dreaded  diseases  are  cholera  and 
fever. 

In  the  first  Burmese  war  seventy-two  per  cent, 
of  the  British  troops  died,  only  five  per  cent,  be- 
ing killed  in  action.  After  the  annexation,  rail- 
road and  steamship  companies  revolutionized 
transportation,  substantial  barracks  and  bun- 
galows have  taken  the  place  of  bamboo-and- 
thatch  shanties,  for  the  accommodations  of 
Europeans.  Improved  sanitary  arrangements  in 
the  towns  have  greatly  decreased  the  mortality 
among  natives.  Compulsory  vaccination  is 
stamping  out  smallpox.  Each  large  town  has 
its  hospital  and  civil  surgeon.  In  six  or  eight 
different  places  medical  missionaries  are  sta- 
tioned. 

Many  improvements  have  been  made  since  the 
time  of  Judson, — but  the  climate  has  not  changed. 
As  organized  mission-work  develops,  the  strain 


Obstacles  261 

on  the  missionary  increases.  To  the  "  care  of  all 
the  churches "  the  mission  schools  have  been 
added.  Work  enough  for  four  falls  upon  one. 
Breakdowns  are  inevitable.  Careful  inquiry  has 
established  the  fact  that  the  average  term  of  mis- 
sionary service  is  considerably  longer  than  that 
of  Europeans  in  civil,  military  or  mercantile  pur- 
suits, though  the  missionary  lives  by  far  the  mor^. 
strenuous  life.  If  it  is  desirable  that  the  missioi- 
ary  should  render  a  long  life  of  service,  this  ex 
tension  of  each  term  beyond  the  limit  of  his 
strength  is  very  poor  economy  in  the  society 
which  he  represents.  But  in  the  majority  of 
cases  the  mistake  is  made  by  the  missionary  him- 
self. Body  and  soul  he  is  wedded  to  his  work. 
There  never  comes  a  time  when  he  is  not  mak- 
ing some  special  effort,  that  he  shrinks  from  en- 
trusting to  another, — for  the  advancement  of  the 
kingdom.  If  another  is  not  available  to  take  up 
the  work  he  will  almost  die  at  his  post  rather  than 
leave  his  people  "  as  sheep  having  no  shepherd." 
The  remedy  is  in  the  hands  of  God's  people  in 
the  home-land.  Had  he  not  learned  to  possess 
his  soul  in  patience  the  missionary  might  feel  dis- 
turbed by  unfriendly  criticisms  directed  against 
missionaries  and  their  methods  by  that  worldly- 
wise  individual  known  as  the  "  globe-trotter." 
Entertained  at  the  missionary's  home,  and  in 
much  better  style  than  the  missionary  can  afford 
or  indulges  except  on  such  occasions,  he  sits  in 


262  Among  the  Burmans 

the  best  room,  and  by  the  hght  of  the  only  table 
lamp  in  the  house  dashes  off  an  article  on  "  Mis- 
sionary Luxury."  He  travels  three  thousand 
miles,  and  visits  fifty  stations  in  three  weeks,  then 
goes  home  to  pose  as  an  authority  on  missionary 
methods,  life  in  the  tropics,  etc.  It  is  simply  in- 
credible what  a  variety  of  misconceptions  one 
can  pick  up  in  three  weeks  in  a  strange  land. 
Representatives  from  churches  and  societies  in 
the  home-land  are  gladly  welcomed,  if  they  pur- 
pose to  remain  long  enough  to  form  correct 
views  of  the  situation.  It  takes  the  missionaries 
themselves  at  least  two  years  to  form  such  views. 
Not  long  ago  a  noted  Christian  worker  visited 
Burma.  He  was  very  earnest  in  his  desire  to  see 
much  in  a  little  time,  and  yet  get  at  the  real  heart 
of  things.  To  further  his  desires  two  mission- 
aries arranged  a  jungle  trip,  that  the  visitor 
might  see  the  people  in  their  native  haunts.  The 
last  stage  of  the  journey  must  be  made  by  ox- 
cart. As  they  were  loading  up  for  the  start  he 
turned  and  said,  "  Now  brethren,  you  know, — I 
want  impressions!'  Then  again,  more  emphatic- 
ally as  he  stepped  in  front  of  the  wheel  to  put  a 
bundle  on  the  cart — "  You  understand  now, — I 
want  inipressiojis."  The  off-ox  seemed  to  sym- 
pathize with  him,  for  he  gave  him  an  impression 
then  and  there, — on  the  right  knee-cap.  Then 
another  on  the  left  knee-cap.  In  great  pain  the 
young   enthusiast   staggered   to   a   log  and   sat 


Obstacles  263 

down.  Helped  into  the  cart,  he  rode  the  rest  of 
the  journey.  The  lameness  lasted  him  several 
days.  Doubtless  the  memory  of  these  first  im- 
pressions will  last  much  longer. 

The  visitor  will  learn  more  in  three  days  of 
Burma  fever  than  in  an  entire  cool  season.  True, 
he  will  have  sincere  sympathy,  and  the  best  at- 
tention possible.  But  everybody  knows  that  if 
true  conceptions  are  to  be  gained,  to  be  dissemi- 
nated in  the  home-land,  it  is  a  good  investment. 

Visitors,  like  new  missionaries,  will  not  be 
guided  by  the  advice  of  the  more  experienced. 
That  disasters  are  not  more  frequent  is  largely 
due  to  the  fact  that  Burma  is  visited  when  the 
climate  is  at  its  best. 

An  exception  to  the  rule  was  the  visit  of  a 
lady  who  had  for  many  years  been  actively  inter- 
ested in  foreign  missions.  Warnings  as  to  the 
deadly  effects  of  a  tropical  sun,  and  the  danger 
of  contracting  fever  from  undue  exposure  had  no 
influence.  Repeated  cautions  that  the  head  must 
be  protected  with  the  customary  "  sola  tope  "  in 
place  of  the  black  straw  hat  were  disregarded. 
Quinine,  the  universal  and  only  effective  remedy 
in  first  symptoms  of  malaria,  was  rejected.  She 
was  "  not  subject "  to  these  things.  In  short,  the 
missionaries  were  unnecessarily  cautious  in  mat- 
ters of  health.  Malaria  changed  to  settled  fever, 
and  went  beyond  the  power  of  the  best  medical 
skill  and  nursing  to  control. 


264  Among  the  Burmans 

This  noble  worker,  who  had  served  long  and 
well  here  below,  and  might  perhaps  have  served 
yet  longer,  went  to  a  happier  service  above. 

Notwithstanding  the  many  disasters,  experi- 
ence still  remains  the  only  teacher  whose  voice 
commands  attention. 

To  meet  every  obstacle  and  trying  experience 
the  consecrated  worker  girds  up  his  loins,  strong 
in  the  consciousness  of  the  fact  that  he  is  an 
"  Ambassador  for  Christ  "  the  highest  office  in 
the  gift  of  the  King  of  Kings.  His  very  ob- 
stacles may  become  stepping-stones  to  higher 
attainments. 


XIII 
WHAT  HATH  GOD  WROUGHT 

ADEQUATELY  to  answer  the  question, 
at    any    given    time,    What    hath    God 
wrought? — is     beyond     the    power    of 
short-sighted  human  comprehension. 

As  one  studies  the  history  of  Christian  mis- 
sions in  this  land,  comparing  the  present  with 
the  past,  the  question  becomes  an  exclamation ; 
yea,  what  hath  God  wrought!  In  1819,  after 
six  years  of  seemingly  fruitless  labour,  Judson 
baptized  the  first  Burman  convert  from  Bud- 
dhism. 

In  1828  Boardman  baptized  the  first  Karen 
convert  from  spirit-worship.  Now  about  forty- 
five  thousand  baptized  Christians,  in  Baptist  mis- 
sions alone,  chiefly  Karen,  but  with  the  Burman 
and  several  other  races  strongly  represented 
assemble  in  Christian  chapels,  without  fear,  or 
hindrance.  Including  adherents,  this  number 
may  be  multiplied  threefold.  Including  the 
mission  work  of  the  Roman  Catholics,  Church 
of  England,  and  other  societies  and  their 
adherents ;  European  officials,  traders,  and 
troops ;  Eurasions,  and  immigrants, — the  census 
265 


266  Among  the  Burmans 

of  1 90 1  gives  a  total  of  147,526  returned  as 
Christians.  Calculated  on  the  same  basis  as 
the  Roman  Catholics  and  Church  of  England 
three-fourths  of  this  grand  total  should  be  as- 
signed to  the  Baptists.  And  as  a  result  of 
actual  mission  work  among  indigenous  races,  a 
much  larger  proportion  must  be  credited  to  these 
American  Baptist  missions.  In  casting  up  re- 
sults as  represented  by  present  numbers,  we 
should  not  lose  sight  of  the  thousands  who  have 
died  in  the  faith  during  the  ninety  years  of 
Christian  missions  in  Burma.  And  I  fain  would 
believe  that  a  good  number  who  never  "  wit- 
nessed the  good  confession  "  have  died  believing 
"  unto  the  saving  of  the  soul."  I  will  give  one 
such  instance  among  the  many,  as  related  to  me 
by  one  of  my  preachers,  himself  a  Buddhist,  at 
the  time.  "  They  told  me  that  an  old  man  in 
the  village  where  I  was  staying,  was  dying.  I 
went  to  see  him.  Sure  enough,  he  was  near  the 
end.  His  people  were  giving  him  very  little 
attention,  being  angry  because  he  declared  that 
he  would  die  as  a  Christian,  not  as  a  Buddhist. 
A  Christian  preacher  had  been  through  the  vil- 
lage a  long  time  before,  and  left  a  tract  with  this 
old  man.  He  read  it,  pondered  on  it,  and  be- 
lieved it.  As  I  sat  beside  the  mat  on  which  he 
was  lying  he  said  to  me :  '  I  am  not  a  Buddhist, 
— I  have  cast  that  all  away.  I  believe  in  the 
Eternal  God  this  tract  tells  me  about.     I  am  go- 


What  Hath  God  Wrought        267 

ing  to  Him.  When  I  am  dead,  don't  let  them 
bury  me  according  to  the  Buddhist  custom. 
Just  roll  me  in  my  mat,  and  cover  me  in  the 
ground.'  Then  he  looked  upward,  his  face 
brightened,  he  raised  his  feeble  hands  and 
exclaimed, '  I  can  see  Celestial  beings  up  there, 
— they  are  calling  me.'  He  did  not  say  angels, 
— he  never  had  heard  anything  about  angels. 
And  I  did  not  know  what  he  was  talking  about. 
I  was  not  a  Christian  then.  His  relations  said 
his  mind  had  gone  bad,  but  he  paid  no  attention 
to  what  they  said, — only  kept  on  talking  about 
his  vision  of  celestial  beings  beckoning  him 
from  the  sky.  In  that  way  he  died.  They 
buried  him  according  to  the  Buddhist  custom, 
but  I  think  he  was  a  true  disciple." 

The  wife  of  one  of  our  jungle  Christians  re- 
jected all  attempts  to  win  her  to  Christ.  It 
seemed  to  be  a  case  of  ignorance  and  indiffer- 
ence rather  than  the  bitter  prejudice  shown  by 
the  majority  of  Burmese  women. 

During  the  last  two  years  of  her  life  she  was 
an  invalid.  When  the  end  came  her  husband 
was  the  only  Christian  in  the  village.  Suddenly 
turning  her  eyes  towards  the  mountains,  as  if 
hearing  something — she  said  to  her  husband, 
"  There  is  a  great  company  of  disciples  there  on 
the  mountainside.  Sayah  Gyi  and  Mama  (the 
missionaries)  are  with  them, — and  they  are  call- 
ing me."    With  a  smile  onherfaceshepassedaway. 


268  Among  the  Burmans 

In  life  she  had  not  "  confessed,"  but  in  death, 
as  her  spirit  hung  between  two  worlds  her 
vision  was  not  of  the  spirits  of  her  lifelong 
superstitions, — but  of  the  missionaries  and  dis- 
ciples saved  by  the  blood  of  Christ.  You  have 
the  story, — interpret  it  as  you  like. 

In  all  the  old  mission  stations  the  native 
evangelists  report  a  good  number  who  secretly 
declare  their  conviction  that  Christianity  is  right, 
the  ancestral  religion  wholly  wrong.  Some  go 
so  far  as  to  assert  that  they  no  longer  worship 
idols,  but  do,  secretly,  worship  Christ. 

But  no  amount  of  urging  or  encouraging  will 
induce  them  to  break  utterly  with  Buddhism,  and 
openly  confess  Christ.  They  will  not  even  risk 
the  consequences  of  attending  services  in  the 
mission  chapel. 

That  some  are  in  a  measure,  sincere,  there  is 
no  doubt.  Imagine,  if  you  can,  what  would  be 
the  social  standing  of  a  hitherto  orthodox  Chris- 
tian in  America,  should  he  renounce  Chris- 
tianity and  go  over  to  gross  idolatry.  From 
ostracism  he  would  suffer  no  more,  from  perse- 
cution far  less  than  the  poor  native  who  re- 
nounces Buddhism,  for  Christianity.  Whether 
any  of  them  are  numbered  among  the  saved,  is 
not  for  me  to  say. 

There  is  another  thought  which  throws  a 
bright  ray  of  light  on  the  great  dark  wall  of 
paganism.     It  is  not  one  of  the  results  of  Chris- 


St 
a 
a:" 

a 

6 


What  Hath  God  Wrought        269 

tian  missions,  but  it  is  a  result  of  the  work  of 
the  Christ  of  missions.  I  refer  to  thousands  and 
miUions  of  infants  and  Httle  children  who  die  in 
pagan  lands.  If  little  children  in  Christian  lands 
are  immortal,  why  are  not  little  children  in  pagan 
lands  also  immortal  ? 

If  little  children  are  included  in  the  saving 
work  of  Christ,  are  they  not  so  included  the 
world  over  ?  It  is  hardly  conceivable  that  Christ 
would  have  said, — with  children  of  non-Christians 
around  Him  :  "  Suffer  the  little  children  to  come 
unto  Me,  and  forbid  them  not,  for  of  such  is  the 
kingdom  of  heaven,"  had  He  not  considered 
them  choicest  material  for  His  kingdom.  Other- 
wise the  words  "  Except  a  man  become  as  a 
little  child  " — would  have  been  incongruous. 

Now  when  we  consider  that  probably  one- 
third  of  the  children  born  in  heathen  lands  die 
before  they  come  to  the  period  of  moral  responsi- 
bility, a  new  factor  enters  into  our  conception  of 
heaven.  Now  for  a  case  in  point.  A  little  child 
died  in  my  mission.  The  father  was  a  Christian, 
the  mother  a  heathen.  One  insisted  that  the 
child  should  be  buried  according  to  Christian 
custom,  the  other  insisted  that  the  burial  should 
be  according  to  Buddhist  custom.  The  father, 
backed  by  the  Burman  pastor,  prevailed.  On 
the  way  to  the  cemetery  I  had  to  stop  the  pro- 
cession to  drive  a  snake  out  of  the  road.  Just 
as  the  service  at  the  grave  began,  another  snake 


270  Among  the  Burmans 

passed  between  the  native  preacher  and  myself 
as  we  stood  side  by  side.  It  seemed  as  if  Satan 
himself  was  siding  with  the  heathen  mother  and 
would  snatch  away  the  soul  of  this  innocent 
child.  While  the  little  grave  was  being  filled,  I 
tried  to  cheer  the  father,  by  telling  him  that  Jesus 
had,  in  love,  taken  the  child  to  Himself.  He  knew 
that  the  mother  would  do  her  worst  to  bring  up 
her  child  in  heathenism,  so  He  had  graciously 
transplanted  it  to  His  paradise  above.  Accepting 
this  view  of  the  case,  the  father  was  comforted. 

There  are  many  such  encouraging  factors 
which  form  no  part  of  mission  reports. 

Before  proceeding  to  the  more  palpable 
triumphs  of  Christian  missions,  I  would  point  out 
that  much  has  recently  been  said  and  written  of 
a  "  Revival  of  Buddhism."  I  do  not  share  in 
the  impression  that  Buddhism  is  becoming 
stronger  than  in  former  years.  The  presence  of  a 
European  clad  in  yellow  robes,  parading  through 
the  chief  towns  of  Burma,  making  great  pre- 
tensions, and  reviling  the  Christian  missionaries, 
created  a  sensation  for  a  time.  But  his  claim  to 
be  the  head  of  Buddhism  was  not  quite  to  the 
taste  of  the  many  native  priests  who,  locally,  or 
for  the  province,  aspired  to  that  position.  Hardly 
more  to  their  taste  was  his  departure,  taking  with 
him  a  generous  sum  of  money  collected  during 
his  tours.  Every  now  and  then  one  hears  of 
new  societies  for  propagating  Buddhism.     But 


What  Hath  God  Wrought         271 

much  of  this  is  mere  pomp  and  show.  A  few 
of  the  more  popular  pagodas  are  periodically 
treated  to  a  coat  of  gold-leaf.  The  bulk  of  this 
great  expense  is  borne  by  men  who  have  amassed 
fortunes  under  British  rule,  and  is  more  to  add  to 
their  renown  than  from  real  religious  zeal.  But 
where  one  pagoda  is  now  regilded,  scores  were 
built  and  gilded,  under  Burman  rule.  Wealth 
and  education  have  raised  many  Burmans  to 
prominent  positions.  Each  one  of  these  gaily 
attired  lords  would  like  to  have  it  said,  "  He 
loveth  our  nation,  and  has  gilded  our  pagoda." 
In  this  they  are  encouraged  by  the  friendly  at- 
titude of  the  provincial  government  towards  the 
rehgion  of  the  land.  In  June,  1903,  the  trustees 
of  the  Shwe  Dagon  pagoda  issued  to  prominent 
Europeans  and  others  the  following  invitation  : 
"  The  trustees  of  the  Shwe  Dagon  pagoda  will 

have  the  pleasure  of ,  on  Sunday,  the  7th 

June,  1903,  on  the  platform  of  the  pagoda,  to 
witness  the  most  sacred  ceremony  of  unveiling 
the  covering  of  the  upper  portion  of  the  pagoda 
as  the  plating  of  the  same  with  beaten  gold  sheets 
has  now  been  completed. 

"  Sir  H.  Thirkell  White,  chief  judge  of  the 
chief  court   of  Lower  Burma  has  kindly  con- 
sented to  perform  the  duty  of  unveiling. 
"  U  Shwe  Waing, 

"  Managing  Trustee. 
"  Shwe  Dagon  Pagoda." 


272  Among  the  Burmans 

The  Rangoon  Gazette  thus  described  the 
event :  "  He  arrived  at  nine  o'clock,  and  was 
received  by  the  trustees  of  the  pagoda,  who 
conducted  him  to  a  platform  where  a  small 
pagoda  about  two  feet  high  and  studded  with 
rubies,  diamonds  and  sapphires,  was  resting  on  a 
massive  silver  Burmese  carved  stand.  This 
pagoda  was  hollow  and  on  being  opened  was 
disclosed  another  pure  gold  miniature  pagoda 
resting  on  a  beautifully  cased  gold  vase.  This 
miniature  pagoda  also  came  to  pieces  and  con- 
tained a  nugget  of  pure  gold,  part  of  the  gold 
plates  used  in  regilding  Shwe  Dagon.  Two  of 
the  trustees,  Maung  Po  Aung  and  Maung  Po 
Tha,  then  each  read  an  address  and  the  signal 
was  given  to  the  man  on  the  top  of  the  pagoda, 
and  Sir  H.  Thirkell  White  pulled  a  handle  which 
was  connected  by  wire  with  the  cloth  frame  on 
the  Hti,  and  the  frame  thus  fell  apart  and  dis- 
closed to  view  the  massive  pinnacle  of  gold.  The 
people  broke  out  in  cheers,  and  the  band  of  the 
king's  regiment  played  the  national  anthem,  and 
this  closed  the  proceedings.  It  has  taken  over 
140  viss  of  gold-leaf  for  the  regilding,  the  cost 
being  between  seven  and  eight  lacs  of  rupees," 
over  ^$250,000.  This  event,  in  which  the  most 
conspicuous  figure  was  a  prominent  English  offi- 
cial, though  in  unofficial  capacity;  and  closing 
with   the   strains    of  "  God  Save  the  King,"  is 


What  Hath  God  Wrought         273 

heralded  far  and  wide  as  another  indication  of  a 
revival  of  Buddhism. 

Were  Buddhism  wiped  out  of  existence  the 
pagoda  would  still  be  preserved,  as  at  once  the 
most  ancient  and  most  conspicuous  object  in  the 
city, — the  first  seen  as  one  approaches  the  shores 
of  Burma. 

Buddhism  never  has  lost  its  strong-hold  on  the 
races  of  Burma  that  many  centuries  ago  adopted 
it.  These  spasmodic  outbreaks  of  seeming  zeal, 
interpreted  by  many  as  indications  of  increasing 
life,  I  interpret  as  signs  of  increasing  weakness. 
As  in  India,  these  people  are  becoming  alarmed 
by  the  headway  that  Christianity  is  slowly, 
steadily  gaining  in  their  land.  It  is  a  struggle 
against  the  irresistible  tide  of  Christian  missions. 
Something  more  than  flaming  pagoda  tops,  and 
societies  with  high  sounding  titles  will  be  re- 
quired to  stay  the  tide,  and  Buddhism  has 
nothing  else  to  offer.  One  hundred  and  fifty 
Protestant  missionaries,  with  hundreds  of 
native  evangelists  and  teachers  constitute  a 
force,  which  under  God,  is  undermining  false 
systems  and  establishing  the  kingdom  of 
Christ. 

The  unveiling  of  the  gilded  pagoda  top  was  a 
great  event,  such  as  happens  once  in  a  decade. 
The  place  was  crowded  with  Burmans,  and  many 
sightseers  of  other  races.  But  on  that  Sunday, 
and  every  Sunday,  nearly  if  not  quite  an  equal 


274  Among  the  Burmans 

number  assembled  in  the  many  Christian  churches 
in  that  city. 

Judson,  forbidden  by  the  king  to  preach  the 
*'  Jesus  Christ  reHgion,"  had  faith  that  the  future 
of  missions  in  Burma  was  as  bright  as  the 
promises  of  God.  If  in  the  year  1903  he  is  per- 
mitted to  look  down  upon  the  land  of  his  toil 
and  suffering,  he  can  see  American  missions 
firmly  established  in  thirty  different  stations,  and 
more  than  one  hundred  missionaries  in  actual 
service,  all  under  the  protection  of  the  flag  of  a 
Christian  nation.  Buddhism  is  reviving,  as  the 
serpent  revives  to  strike  the  rod  from  which  it  is 
receiving  its  death-blow. 

Among  the  far-reaching  results  of  mission 
work  stands  Judson's  translation  of  the  Bible 
into  the  Burmese  language.  From  the  time  when 
he  triumphantly  held  aloft  the  last  leaf  of  this 
translation,  until  the  present  time,  Judson's  Bible 
has  been  used  by  all  Protestant  societies  doing 
mission  work  among  the  Burmans.  It  has  been 
revised  by  later  missionaries ;  but  so  scholarly, 
and  so  loyal  to  the  Greek  text  was  it,  that  com- 
paratively few  changes  have  been  found  necessary. 
Some  have  criticised  it  as  containing  interpreta- 
tion, at  certain  points,  in  place  of  literal  trans- 
lation. But  in  so  far  as  this  is  true  it  seems 
unavoidable,  it  being  impossible  to  reproduce  the 
meaning  word  for  word.  Failure  to  reproduce 
the  meaning  would  not  be,  in  the  highest  sense, 


What  Hath  God  Wrought        275 

a  translation.  But  the  severest  criticism  passed 
upon  it  is  because  literal  translation  was  adopted 
where  the  critics  would  have  a  translitera- 
tion. 

Of  scarcely  less  importance  than  Judson's 
Burmese  Bible  are  the  translations,  by  later  mis- 
sionaries, of  the  Bible  into  Shan,  Sgaw  Karen, 
and  Pwo  Karen. 

The  American  Baptist  Mission  Press,  at 
Rangoon,  is  turning  out  vast  quantities  of 
Christian  literature.  Bibles,  tracts,  hymn  books, 
and  a  great  variety  of  other  useful  material  for 
evangelistic  work  find  their  way  to  the  remotest 
corners  of  the  land.  Karens  and  Talaings  in 
Southern  Burma,  even  into  Siam;  Shans  and 
Kachins  on  the  Chinese  border,  to  the  east  and 
north ;  Chins  in  the  northwest ;  Burmans  and 
Karens  throughout  the  land  may  have  this  Chris- 
tian literature  in  their  own  tongue. 

It  can  almost  be  said  that  the  Mission  Press  is 
evangelizing  Burma  by  macJiinery. 

At  each  of  the  thirty  stations  of  the  American 
Baptist  Mission  a  school  has  been  established. 
Where  work  for  different  races  is  carried  on  at  the 
same  station  there  is  a  school  for  each  race. 
There  are  scores  of  out-station  schools,  but  the 
station  school  is  the  centre  of  influence.  Here  it 
is  that  the  young  lady  missionary  finds  her  grand- 
est opportunity  for  usefulness.  It  is  hard  work, 
— this  steady  day-in-and-day-out  routine,  nothing 


276  Among  the  Burmans 

harder   in   the  whole  round  of  missionary  en- 
deavour. 

But  there  is  also  fascination  in  it.  With  a 
large  body  of  Christian  pupils,  as  in  the  Karen 
schools,  there  is  stimulus  in  it.  Here  are  scores 
of  young  men  who  are  soon  to  go  out  as  preachers 
and  teachers,  in  their  native  villages,  or  as  mis- 
sionaries to  unevangelized  tribes.  Young  women, 
too,  going  out  as  teachers,  Bible-women,  or  per- 
haps as  wives  of  some  of  these  Christian  young 
men.  The  missionaries  report  so  many  churches, 
so  many  Sunday-schools,  so  many  evangelists 
sent  out, — but  it  is  largely  due  to  the  faithful 
work  of  our  young  ladies  from  the  home-land 
that  these  evangelists  were  first  won  to  Christ, 
while  pupils  in  the  station  schools.  To  take 
these  boys  and  girls  when  they  came  as  children 
from  distant  villages,  untidy  offspring  of  the 
"  great  unwashed,"  and  under  God,  mould  them 
for  Christian  service,  is  as  grand  a  work  as  ever 
fell  to  a  consecrated  missionary's  lot.  Thus  the 
Christian  school  is  letting  in  the  light,  arousing 
dormant  faculties,  furnishing  scores  of  mission 
helpers,  and  paving  the  way  for  more  glorious 
triumphs  of  the  gospel  in  years  to  come.  At  the 
close  of  1902  the  grand  total  of  19,430  pupils 
were  under  instruction  in  schools  of  the  Ameri- 
can Baptist  Mission  in  Burma.  Of  this  number 
1 35  were  in  the  theological  seminary  at  Insein. 
All  are  under  Christian  influence,  and  engaging 


What  Hath  God  Wrought         277 

in  daily  Bible  study.  But  what  of  the  character 
of  native  converts  ? 

Have  the  backward  tribes  sufficient  intelli- 
gence and  stamina  to  make  trustworthy  Chris- 
tians ?  this  question  is  often  asked.  A  mission- 
ary thus  describes  the  first  Karen  she  ever  saw, — 
"  Suspended  from  a  yoke  from  the  forehead, 
hanging  down  the  back  of  this  Karen  was  a  large 
pig  suspended  in  bamboo  strips  to  keep  him 
quiet,  and  this  pig  had  been  brought  by  the  man 
from  the  mountains.  The  man  himself  was  very 
untidy,  his  single  garment  was  after  the  shape  of 
a  pillow  case;  his  hair,  if  ever  it  had  been 
combed,  had  not  been  for  many  a  day,  and  I  said 

to    Dr.  C '  It  hardly  seems  possible  there  is 

more  soul  in  the  burden- bearer  than  in  the 
burden.'  He  looked  at  me  in  astonishment,  and 
said,  '  Why,  that  is  the  dearest  old  deacon  in  the 
mountains.'  And  I  said,  '  If  that  is  the  dearest 
old  deacon  in  the  mountains,  then  there  is  hope 
for  everybody.' "  In  a  letter  to  the  Rangoon 
Times  an  English  traveller  wrote  as  follows : 
«'  Close  to  police  barracks  at  Myitta  (near  Siam) 
is  a  native  Baptist  church.  There  are  no  mis- 
sionaries in  the  neighbourhood,  but  Christianity 
has  widely  spread  among  the  Karens  from  the 
American  Baptist  missions  in  the  Karen  district 
proper.  The  Karen  Christians  observe  the  Sab- 
bath with  Scotch  precision ;  no  doubt  its  observ- 
ance falls  in  with  their  happy  indolent  disposition 


278  Among  the  Burmans 

which  would  embrace  eagerly  a  creed  that  of- 
fered them  seven  days  of  rest  in  the  week.  It  is 
a  little  disconcerting  for  a  keen  sportsman,  who 
has  lost  all  count  of  the  calendar  in  this  remote 
corner  of  the  world,  to  be  told,  when  ready 
equipped  for  a  day's  shooting,  that  it  is  impossi- 
ble to  obtain  beaters,  because  it  is  Sunday."  At 
a  point  not  so  remote  from  civilization  an  official 
whipped  a  Christian  Karen  for  refusing  to  work 
on  Sunday. 

The  missionary's  request  for  an  explanation 
being  ignored,  the  matter  was  referred  to  the 
lieutenant-governor.  The  official  was  repri- 
manded, and  an  order  issued  that  no  Christian 
should  be  compelled  to  work  on  Sunday.  In 
his  book  "  The  Loyal  Karens,"  Mr.  Smeaton, 
late  chief  commissioner  of  Burma,  says,  "  It  is 
not  often  given  to  witness  such  a  remarkable 
development  of  national  character  as  has  taken 
place  among  the  Karens  under  the  influence  of 
Christianity  and  good  government. 

"  Forty,  aye,  thirty  years  ago,  they  were  a  de- 
spised, grovelling,  timid  people,  held  in  contempt 
by  the  Burmese.  At  the  sound  of  the  gospel 
message  they  sprang  to  their  feet,  as  a  sleeping 
army  springs  to  the  bugle-call.  The  dream  of 
hundreds  of  years  was  fulfilled ;  the  God  who  had 
cast  them  off  for  their  unfaithfulness  had  come 
back  to  them,  they  felt  themselves  a  nation  once 
more.     Their  progress  since  has  been  by  leaps 


What  Hath  God  Wrought        279 

and  bounds,  all  from  an  impetus  within  them- 
selves, and  with  no  direct  help  from  their  rulers  ; 
and  they  bid  fair  soon  to  outstrip  their  Burmese 
conquerors  in  all  the  arts  of  peace."  By  their 
fruits  ye  shall  know  them.  Where  only  a  few 
years  ago  were  tribal  wars,  child-stealing,  house- 
burning  and  savagery,  now  are  quiet,  orderly  vil- 
lages, each  with  its  preacher  and  teacher,  chapel 
and  school.  Rubbish  and  filth  that  they  never 
saw  while  in  paganism,  have  been  cleared  away. 
Faces  are  brighter,  bodies  better  clothed,  rice- 
bins  better  filled.  Many  of  the  boys  and  girls  are 
away  in  the  town  school  for  better  training  than 
the  village  school  can  provide.  Here  and  there, 
on  the  elevated  bamboo  verandas  may  be  seen 
young  wives  who  have  had  this  better  training, 
evidenced  by  their  absence  of  fear  that  a  clean 
skirt  will  bring  upon  them  the  eyes  of  the  entire 
village.  These  are  a  few  of  the  many  changes 
forecast  in  the  promise — "  I  will  say  unto  them 
that  were  not  My  people,  Thou  art  My  people  ; 
and  they  shall  say,  Thou  art  my  God." 

About  eight  hundred  Protestant  churches,  with 
as  many  pastors  and  evangelists,  are  among  the 
more  tangible  results. 

A  Christian  college  for  all  races,  theological 
seminaries  for  Karens  and  Burmans,  the  latter 
open  to  Burmese  speaking  candidates  from  other 
races  ;  and  a  Bible  training  school  for  the  young 
women  are  preparing  pastors,  evangelists,  teach- 


28o  Among  the  Burmans 

ers  and  Bible  women,  to  meet  the  ever  increasing 
demand.  Aheady  native  missionaries  have  gone 
out  to  work  among  the  Shans,  Chins  and  Ka- 
chins.  And  still  the  finger  of  God  is  pointing 
onward, — to  western  China,  and  the  region 
around  Tibet,  sources  from  which  the  races  of 
Burma  came,  and  where  kindred  races  still  exist. 

Without  dealing  in  uninteresting  statistics,  I 
have  tried  to  indicate  some  of  the  conditions  amid 
which  missionary  work  in  Burma  has  been,  and 
still  is  being  conducted,  and  some  of  the  results 
of  the  work. 

In  spite  of  separations,  privations,  distractions, 
effects  of  climate,  and  other  trying  experiences, 
missionary  hfe  has  its  compensations.  Chief 
among  them  is  the  satisfaction  of  seeing  the 
image  of  God  reappearing  in  human  faces,  hearts, 
and  lives,  and  the  privilege  of  helping  to  win  a 
nation  to  Christ.  This  it  is  that  keeps  the  mission- 
ary at  his  post,  or  hurries  him  back  to  his  field  from 
a  half-rest  in  the  home-land ;  while  first,  last,  and 
all  the  time  there  is  ringing  in  his  ears  the  Mas- 
ter's parting  message — "  Go,  preach  the  gospel 
to  the  whole  creation," — every  word  of  which, 
as  Dr.  Ellis  once  said,  "  is  a  heart-beat  of  the 
Holy  Ghost."  In  the  Great  Commission,  and  the 
great  need  he  finds  ample  justification  and 
obligation  for  vigorous  and  unceasing  missionary 
effort. 

After  the  battle  of  Lookout  Mountain  a  dying 


What  Hath  God  Wrought         281 

soldier,  roused  by  a  sound  of  shouting,  said  to  a 
comrade  who  was  supporting  him — "  What  was 
that  ?  "  "  Why — that's  our  boys  !  they  have  car- 
ried the  heights,  and  planted  the  flag  upon 
them  !  "  With  a  smile  the  dying  soldier  said,"  I 
helped  put  it  there." 

All  along  the  mission-front  the  great  struggle 
with  paganism  is  still  going  on.  But  by  and  by 
the  battles  will  have  been  fought,  the  victory 
won,  and  you  and  I  will  be  standing  with  that 
great  company  which  John  saw  at  Patmos, — for 
it  is  yet  future.  Burmans  and  Karens,  and  people 
of  India  and  China,  and  Africa  will  be  there,  just 
as  it  reads : 

"  Out  of  every  nation,  and  of  all  tribes  and 
peoples  and  tongues."  And  as  we  stand  there 
in  the  presence  of  our  Saviour, — the  Lord  of  the 
Harvest, — it  will  be  a  happy  day  for  you  and  me, 
— if  we  can  say  like  the  dying  soldier — "  I  helped 
put  them  there." 


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